Closure
In this section, we report on restaurant, pub, bar, café, and catering business closures across the UK, and the commercial, operational, and market factors behind them. From high-street exits and group-wide restructures to insolvencies, lease surrenders, and strategic site rationalisations, we cover the real-world impacts of rising costs, labour shortages, shifting demand, and margin pressures. We go beyond headlines to explain why closures are happening and what they mean for the wider sector. Whether you’re benchmarking performance or navigating tough decisions, we provide the context hospitality professionals need to stay informed.
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Jan- 2021 -8 JanuaryPubs and Bars
Lockdown forces further borrowing for Arc Inspirations
Arc Inspirations, a bar group in the north of England, has been forced to borrow an additional £1m as the UK enters another lockdown, according to the BBC. Martin Wolstencroft, CEO at the chain that operates over 17 venues across the country, had already taken out £4m in loans to…
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6 JanuaryNews
UKH Cymru calls for Welsh government support
UKHospitality Cymru has called on the Welsh government to use the new treasury support funds of £227m to provide economic backing to the hospitality sector. David Chapman, executive director for UKHospitality Cymru, reiterated that the treasury announcement reflects the “serious position” that businesses are in now that once again they…
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4 JanuaryCoronavirus
Pandemic fuels 30,000 restaurant job losses
Almost 30,000 job losses were recorded by the UK’s restaurant and casual dining firms in 2020, according to data compiled by the Centre for Retail Research (CRR). The research also found that redundancies in the industry spiked 163% as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and related restrictions. The job…
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Dec- 2020 -22 DecemberBusiness
Maxwell’s Restaurant Limited calls in liquidators, 400 jobs lost
Maxwell’s Restaurant Limited has gone into liquidation resulting in 400 members of staff being left redundant. The restaurant group, which owned popular London venues such as Maxwell’s Bar and Grill, Cafe de Paris and Palm Court Brasserie said “reduced customer numbers” due to Covid-19 was one of the reasons for…
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17 DecemberCatering Companies
SSP revenue halves as sales dented by Covid-19
SSP, one of the UK’s leading travel food and beverage groups, has reported that revenue plunged by 47.9% to £1.4bn in the full-year ended 30 September 2020. The group’s like-for-like sales also fell 50.8%, after they were “heavily impacted” by the various lockdown measures resulting from the pandemic and the…
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16 DecemberNews
The Set Brighton announces permanent closure
Chef Dan Kenny’s The Set restaurant in Brighton has revealed its permanent closure on 31 March 2021. The establishment, which has been running for six years, offers a 14+ course tasting menu to just 12 customers from Monday to Wednesday each week, in a dining experience that lasts for over…
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11 DecemberCoronavirus
Pub sales down 84% on first weekend of re-opening
Overall sales across pubs in the first weekend of December were 84% lower than last year, a study by the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA) reveals. The trade group which has touted “tighter covid restrictions” as the reason for this slump also revealed that just four in ten pubs…
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10 DecemberBreweries and Distilleries
Marston’s swings to £397m loss
Marston’s, the British brewery, pub and hotel operator, has reported a loss of £397m in the 53 weeks ended 3 October 2020. The company’s total revenue fell sharply from £1.17bn in 2019 to £821m this year, as sales were greatly reduced by the 15-week closure of pubs from the end…
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9 DecemberCoronavirus
STLA slams Scotland’s new Covid measures
The Scottish Licensed Trade Association (SLTA) has called for proper “financial compensation” for hospitality business in response to the First Minister’s decision to loosen Covid-19 restrictions. Yesterday, the Scottish government announced that more than two million people who have been living under the strictest Covid-19 protection levels for three weeks…
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8 DecemberCoronavirus
Hospitality Ulster: Keeping traditional pubs closed ‘unfair and unjust’
Northern Irish trade group Hospitality Ulster has condemned the local government’s decision to keep traditional pubs closed, ahead of the county’s hospitality businesses reopening on Friday (11 December). Earlier this month, government officials at Stormont confirmed that while restaurants and hotels that can serve a substantial meal will be able…
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