Hospitality: A quarter of Britain’s pubs and restaurants still to reopen after lockdown
One in four of Britain’s restaurants, pubs, bars and other licensed premises have yet to reopen despite the return of inside service.
Around 25,000 venues across Britain are still shut, according to new hospitality data from CGA and AlixPartners, shared with Morning Wire this morning.
The data shows similar trading numbers in England (76.6 per cent) and Scotland (77.4 per cent), with a notably slower return in Wales (69.6 per cent), with slightly more pubs having reopened than restaurants.
Social distancing and restrictions
Social distancing and restrictions in place still make it unviable for swathes of venues to open, and 45.2 per cent of Britain’s sports and social clubs remain closed, alongside 50.9 per cent of large venues and 27 per cent of bars, according to the figures.
CGA and AlixPartners also found that more than 8,500 premises, 7.4 per cent of Britain’s pre-Covid-19 total, have closed for good.
“It is alarming to see that so many venues have still not been able to welcome guests. Many will have decided that restrictions and space constraints make opening unviable, while some sectors like late-night bars and nightclubs are still completely off limits,” said Karl Chessell, CGA’s director for hospitality operators and food.
“It will be an anxious wait to see how many of the venues that are holding on until the final easing of restrictions will be able to make it through,” he added.