Dating apps and Netflix seal fate of late-night bars

DATING apps are partly responsible for a significant decrease in 24-hour alcohol licences, new research has suggested.

The number of pubs, bars and nightclubs granted permission to serve alcohol round the clock has fallen by a fifth over the past year, according to commercial law firm EMW.

The company said expected demand for nightlife had failed to materialise, leaving 742 late night alcohol licences in 2018, down from 919 in 2013.

The increasing popularity of Netflix and dating apps has contributed to a “cultural” shift in how people socialise, thereby affecting demand of drinking in late-night venues, the research suggests.

Low demand for 24-hour venues serving alcohol means the cost of staying open outweighs profits from extra sales, said the report.

Insolvencies in the pub and bar trade was also a factor in the decline, according to EMW.

Marco Mauro, legal director at EMW, said: “Twenty-four-hour alcohol licences were expected to boost the night-time economy but this has simply not happened.

“Continued cultural changes in the way people interact and socialise, such as through dating apps, and the rise of Netflix, has created less demand for pubs, bars and nightclubs.

“Increasingly, many individuals are also now not going out until much later in the evening and, as a result, they can often spend less on drinks at the pubs.

“For most venues, the potential extra revenue from staying open 24 hours is still not enough to make those businesses sustainable operations, resulting in many pubs and bars having to close.”

The research comes in the wake of figures last month, which showed that pubs are closing down at a rate of one every 12 hours.

The Campaign for Real Ale said 378 pubs shut down permanently between July and December last year in England, Scotland and Wales, representing more than 14 closures a week. Since the start of last year, some 854 have shut across England, Scotland and Wales, but the decline has slowed since 980 closures in 2017.