Nightclub in region 'on the verge of closing' due to rising bills and decreases in footfall

One in five nightclubs in Britain has closed over the past three years after the sector was badly hit during the Covid-19 pandemic

The Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has shared figures which suggest the pandemic and current economic pressures have taken a heavy toll.

NTIA, a trade body representing businesses in the night-time economy, has urged the Government to intervene "before it's too late".

Shaun Keasey, owner of Gorgeous nightclub, Wolverhampton, says his club is in a better position than most but isn't surprised to see many closing their doors.

He said: "As soon as we could reopen after Covid, we had a bit of a boom.

"We have a lot of people who celebrated their 18th birthdays during lockdown, so they couldn't celebrate.

"They all seemed to come out once, which was really good.

"Naturally that plateaued and we had hoped it would settle at a manageable level.

"But in 2022 it hasn’t panned out that way, obviously, we couldn’t predict the war in Ukraine, and that’s a real issue.

Over in Walsall, Dav Sangha, manager of Memoirs Bar in the town centre, says the venue is on the verge of closing.

"It started with Covid, we had the support from grants, but that only covered rent," Dav said.

"We are on verge of having the close, we are struggling

"During the whole Covid period all my money went into keeping the business alive, I didn't make a salary.

"What is happening now since lockdown is, people have changed, people don’t go out as much as they used to.

"It is really strange, it is like the economy has shifted, people are tending to go out to restaurants and then call it a night.

"We have inflation affecting it too, our electric and gas has gone through the roof.

"We need help with the running bills, and I think insurance companies need to pay out over losses for Covid too.

"And specifically in our area, we need better policing, as this is strangling the industry."

Shaun has also seen energy costs cause issues, describing the bill for running a nightclub as "intensive".

"The energy bills for nightclubs are very intensive, so the rises have really hurt us," added Shaun.

"Footfall has gone down as the amount of money people have at the end of the month is lower.

"I am not surprised places are closing as sometimes you look at it and wonder if it is worth the hassle.

"Touchwood, Gorgeous isn’t in a bad position and we have a loyal customer base.

"We are working hard to put fun promotions on and good offers to get people out.

"There are venues that won't survive and I hope Gorgeous isn't one of them.

"We employ 30 people, we need to protect the nightclubs, they are public institutions."