Over four months have passed since a Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) survey suggested that over half of the U.K.’s bars and clubs would not survive with social distancing guidelines in place. The organization has now teamed up with Sprout CRM on a similar study in regards to recently imposed nightlife curfews.
Following the implementation of the cutoff on September 24th, Sprout and the NTIA surveyed over 800 establishments. 60% reported that they had already been forced to lay off staff, with 91% expressing doubts that Rishi Sunak‘s Winter Recovery Plan would not help them retain workers. On top of this, 55% of the businesses surveyed said that the curfew resulted in additional losses of 60%.
“This is a huge challenge for the sector,” said Sprout CRM Europe Director Dhilon Solanki. “We have been working tirelessly across to support businesses with tech solutions, but the recent measures implemented by government have made many businesses unviable, leaving concerns for there future.”
“Our sector must not be undervalued; we need to challenge the government when restrictions result in the systematic closure of an entire industry,” said NTIA CEO Michael Kill. “In the coming weeks, without further support, we are facing a catastrophic collapse, which will see thousands of businesses and jobs lost.”
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson had imposed the 10:00 PM curfew after the country saw almost 5,000 new COVID-19 cases in a single day. Social distancing is also required at all establishments in addition to a seating limit of six people per table.
Lobbying from the NTIA earlier in the year – particularly through the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign – was followed by U.K. lawmaker’s announcement of a £1.57 billion cultural relief fund.
Image credit: Alexander Popov
