One in five nightclubs in Great Britain closed during Covid pandemic
One in five nightclubs in Great Britain have closed over the past three years after the sector was badly hit during the Covid-19 pandemic and other economic pressures.
Figures shared by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) – a trade body representing businesses in the night-time economy – revealed there are only 1,130 nightclubs left in England, Wales and Scotland. This is a 20% drop since the first lockdown in March 2020.
There were 1,446 nightclubs in Britain in December 2019 and 1,924 in December 2014, according to figures collected by the data and research consultancy firm CGA.
The “culmination of pandemic debt, growing energy bills, workforce challenges, supply chain issues, insurance premiums and landlord pressures” have contributed to slowing ticket sales and visitor frequency at these venues, the NTIA said.
The trade body also warned that the true impact of cost inflation on businesses was yet to be seen, with more than 53.8% of respondents still to renew energy contracts.
Some parts of Britain were worse hit than others, such as the Midlands, where nearly 30% of nightclubs have closed since March 2020.
When broken down, the region that experienced the biggest percentage drop (28%) in the number of nightclubs since December 2019 was central England and central Wales, followed by the south-east outside London (27%) and the south-west (27%). There was a 25% drop in the number of nightclubs in Yorkshire and a 24% fall in the north-west, while Scotland had a drop of 21%.
The NTIA chief executive, Michael Kill, said it was time the government recognised the economic, cultural and community value of nightclubs.
“Late-night economy businesses were one of the quickest sectors to rebound during the financial crash many
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