An average of three clubs are closing each week
The UK could see the ‘end of clubbing’ as venues are currently closing at 10 per month.
According to research by the Nighttime Industries Association, the UK has lost 37 per cent of its clubs over the past four years.
Michael Kill, the chief executive of the Nighttime Industries Association (NTIA) spoke to Sky News ahead of next week’s autumn budget.
He said: “We are witnessing the systematic dismantling of the nighttime economy. Our industry is not just about entertainment; it’s about identity, community, and the economy.”
The results are attributed to the cost of living meaning more people are going out less, as well as the rising operational costs.
One recent NTIA flash poll of 500 businesses found that seven out of 10 are either barely breaking even or operating at a loss.
The NTIA says that things are so bleak that if the current rate of closures continues then on 31 December 2029 we will have no more clubs in the UK.
Mr Kill said: “The concern is that as we move towards the budget, the narrative that’s coming out is quite dour… Looking at alcohol duty and potentially things like the ban on smoking… All of those things are quite onerous and cost heavy.
“We need the government to give us a bit of a break and the financial headroom to be able to allow businesses to survive.”
Clubs are being forced to reinvent themselves and find new ways to maximise revenue.
Actor and music lover Vicky McClure has stumbled across a way to get people back dancing – running a successful daytime clubbing event with her husband called Day Fever.
“I don’t think we’ve reinvented the wheel but I think what we’ve captured is something that everybody really wants,” she said.
Many owners are struggling to keep permanent venues afloat but others have found success working in ‘meanwhile spaces’.
Simeon Aldred is the co-founder and head of strategy at Broadwick Live, a company responsible for the club Drumsheds, one of the world’s largest nightclubs that’s currently running on the site of Tottenham’s old Ikea in north London.
The vast furniture warehouse is hosting some of the biggest names in dance music.
He said of the project: “I’d imagine [this] is temporary,” says Mr Aldred. “Our landowner is looking to do housing with Enfield council…London needs more houses.
“That gap between old and new development…working in meanwhile spaces….it really helps landlords and places to experiment with size and scale, does food work there? Does music work there? How can [they] take that into permanence in some form?”
With an average of three clubs closing each week, the only real way of preserving the scene is to attract more people back into the venues we already have.
