UK’s late-night hospitality sector hit by hundreds of closures in the last year but being revitalised by wave of new bars and experiential venues: The UK’s late-night hospitality sector has been hit by hundreds of closures in the last year but is being revitalised by a wave of new bars and experiential venues, according to data analysts CGA and the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA). The first edition of the new Night Time Economy Market Monitor reveals that in December 2024, Britain had 2,264 nightclubs, late-night bars and casinos, 2.8% fewer than at the end of 2023 and 25.2% down on the pre-covid level of March 2020. Nightclubs have borne the brunt of these closures, with numbers having dropped 33.2%. It follows the seismic impacts that covid lockdowns, high inflation and pressure on consumer spending have all had on late-night businesses over the past five years. However, venues in the wider evening economy, which also includes sites where evenings form a major part of trading, rose by 3.9% to 16,004 in 2024 – equivalent to around 12 net new openings every week. This partly reflects the success of bars, which rose 5.4% in just 12 months. There was sharp growth in themed bars (up 24.4%), cocktail bars (up 17.4%) and craft bars (up 14.3%). Venues offering competitive socialising and other interactive experiences have been among the fastest growing of any hospitality channel in recent years. The Monitor also highlights the vibrancy of northern British cities, including Liverpool, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Leeds, where the number of late-night venues rose by more than 4% in 2024. It also sets out the disproportionate impacts of covid and inflation on independently run venues in the evening economy, which have closed at a rate of nearly four per week since March 2020, compared to 3.3% growth in numbers for managed groups. Additional findings show key trends such as earlier visits to bars, pubs and restaurants, with more than two thirds (70%) of NTIA members report falling revenue in post-1am trading, while far fewer (47%) report a drop in the 6pm-to-8pm period. It also showed a growing demand for experience-led venues, with a third (33%) of consumers who go out for high-tempo occasions saying they are visiting more of these sites than they were a year ago, while only (19%) are using them less. There were also concerns about trading in 2025 and the impact of new labour costs in the government’s Budget, with only 13% of NTIA members feeling optimistic about the market over the next 12 months, while 65% feel pessimistic. Reuben Pullan, CGA by NIQ’s senior insight consultant, said: “The covid crisis and relentless pressure on costs have created enormous challenges for hospitality businesses in the last five years, and late-night clubs and bars have been hit hardest of all. However, many other segments have been remarkably resilient, and the growth in new types of venues like competitive socialising bars shows the evening economy isn’t disappearing – it’s just changing. With the right support from government, night-time businesses can power not just hospitality but Britain’s economic growth and job creation.” NTIA chief executive Mike Kill added: “This new report highlights the resilience and challenges of our sector. With consumer spending reaching £223.5 billion in 2024 and the night-time cultural economy growing by 3.2%, the importance of live music, late-night venues, and cultural spaces is clear. However, rising operational costs and inflationary pressures are still straining businesses. Employment trends show a vital yet transforming workforce, with significant declines in pub, bar, and licensed club employment, but growth in sporting venues, clubs, and gyms. Targeted support and strategic policy interventions are essential to safeguard the future of this critical pillar of the UK economy.”

‘Glass tax’ will likely kill off beer bottles and limit the choice of booze available: A ‘glass tax’ to help the environment will likely kill off beer bottles and limit the choice of booze available to consumers, brewers have warned. Set to begin on 1 April, the new extended producer responsibility (EPR) scheme will see businesses charged for the amount of packaging they use based on its weight. With glass bottles weighing in heavier than other vessels like cans, the policy could see brewers abandon bottles completely, the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) cautioned. Mark Kelly, a beer seller at brewery Sambrook’s in London, the The Telegraph: “We think beer bottles will die off in the long term.” Duncan Sambrook, founder of Sambrook’s brewery, added: “The EPR will accelerate the decline in the variety of bottled beers you see on the shelves and increase consumer prices. This is not an environmental scheme... it is a tax.” The ‘glass tax’ would have businesses paying up to 7p more per 500ml bottle in packaging costs, the BBPA said. Brewers make on average only 3p of profit on a half-litre bottle, it added, so if they do not increase their prices, the ‘glass tax’ will have them in deep financial trouble and they may start using cheaper materials like aluminium cans. Many brewers also think glass is the best material for packaging, in terms of its strength and how it protects the quality of their product. Jonathan Neame, owner of Shepherd Neame Brewery in Kent, said: “Glass is ultimately the best container for product quality and strength. It’s been dressed up in different ways, but it looks like a tax, it smells like tax and it will pass onto the retailer, who will have to pass it on to the customer.” Industry leaders wrote to environment secretary Steve Reed last year warning him that British ales could be wiped out by the EPR. It is not only beer at risk though. Spirits and wine will be on the line too when the new EPR comes in, with a bottle of each costing 18p and 12p more respectively, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association said. A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: “Extended producer responsibility for packaging is a vital first step for our packaging reforms. Together, our reforms will create 21,000 jobs and help stimulate more than £10bn investment in recycling over the next decade. It means taxpayers won’t foot the bill for managing waste. We continue to work closely with businesses, including in the glass industry, on this programme.”

Just Eat for Business – 37% rise in pizza orders in 2024 versus 2023: Just Eat for Business said it saw a 37% rise in pizza orders from office workers in 2024 versus 2023. It said 24,934 margherita pizzas were ordered in 2024, making it the most popular pizza choice, and that Thursday is the most popular day for pizza orders. Furthermore, it said 377,000 pizza slices were consumed by office workers in 2024, and that 44% of pizza orders were vegan or vegetarian. Just Eat for Business managing director Matt Ephgrave said: “Employers are increasingly recognising that shared food experiences can help build stronger, more engaged teams, and pizza’s universal appeal makes it the perfect choice.” Just Eat for Business shared the data to celebrate National Pizza Day yesterday (Sunday, 9 February).

Liverpool microbrewery falls into administration: A Liverpool microbrewery has fallen into administration and its assets are to be sold via auction. Carnival Brewing Company, located in Gibraltar Row, was established in 2017 following a fundraising event and often collaborated with musicians and record labels to produce limited edition craft beer. Paul Stanley and Jason Greenhalgh, of Begbies Traynor in Liverpool, were appointed as joint administrators on 29 January. After several unsuccessful attempts were made to find a buyer, the company’s assets, including a canning line, will be sold via auction on Wednesday, 26 February. “Many small, independent businesses are facing difficulties at the moment, and despite establishing a number of trade and individual customers in a competitive industry, Carnival has been unable to find a buyer and has been placed into administration,” Stanley said. “We are working closely with creditors and directors to support on next steps.”