Data from the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has revealed that the number of independent night-time economy (NTE) venues fell by 2.3% between March 2023 and March 2024.
There are now only 88,717 independent NTE venues in the UK. In March 2020, there were 102,860.
The NTIA is now calling on the incoming government to prioritise the sector, stating that current issues facing NTE businesses – including overregulation and inflation – ‘threaten to homogenise our urban landscapes, stripping away the diversity and vitality that define our nightlife’.
Ahead of the UK’s general election on 4 July, it criticised each party’s manifesto as ‘disappointingly superficial, filled with vague promises and hollow assurances’ when it comes to the NTE.
CEO Michael Kill challenged political parties to support youth culture and nightlife, urging them to listen to the two million under-30s employed in this sector, the billions that take part in nightlife and to recognise the 90,000 businesses in the NTE.
Earlier this year, the NTIA revealed that 35% of independent nightclubs in the UK closed between March 2020 and December 2023.
The organisation also launched a campaign to save the on-trade in collaboration with the Institute of Hospitality.
