‘ Devastating’ 10pm curfew could lead to closures, pub chiefs warn
HOSPITALITY WORKERS in Leeds have raised serious concerns about the future of the industry after seeing a “catastrophic” impact on trade since the introduction of the 10pm curfew.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that all bars and restaurants had to close by 10pm from September 24 to tackle rising coronavirus levels.
However, bar owners in Leeds are warning that the curfew has already had a devastating impact on revenue and could lead to closures.
Martin Greenhow, the managing director of Mojo bars, said: “The curfew has been catastrophic. We have lost six to seven key hours on a weekend when we’ve already lost 60 per cent of our capacity.
“When we came back from lockdown we were trading at about 80 per cent of what it was before, which wasn’t ideal but
with some help it was manageable. Along came the curfew and we dropped from 85 per cent to 20. The problem for us is we can’t recover the lost trade in one Saturday afternoon, which is effectively what we’re trying to do.”
North Brewing Co and the North Bar group reported similar losses, with the flagship bar in New Briggate the hardest hit.
Sarah Hardy, marketing manager of North Brewing Co and North Bar Ltd, said: “We saw the effect of the curfew within days of it being introduced.
“Sales in our city- centre venues were hit hardest. North Bar saw a drop in sales of over 55 per cent compared to the same week last year.
“While bars in the suburbs saw stronger sales, they are still operating with reduced capacity to keep people safe and allow for social distancing.
“Data by Public Health England showed that three per cent of infections last week were traced to bars and restaurants.”
She added: “This curfew will have a devastating effect on independent businesses across Leeds and we unfortunately expect to see businesses that were thriving shut their doors over the winter.”
The curfew has also had a negative effect on the company’s brewery sales, with the company relying on sales via their webshop.