Nightclubs eye June reopening but can they survive?

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Sacha Lord couldn't believe his ears when, on Monday, Boris Johnson mentioned nightclubs as he set out the roadmap for ending the Covid-19 lockdown in England.

"I nearly had to scrape myself off the floor," says Greater Manchester's night time economy adviser and co-founder of the Warehouse Project club nights.

In fact, it was the second time in a week the prime minister had talked about clubs. The previous Monday he said that using lateral flow tests could be a way to reopening venues.

"I couldn't believe it," Mr Lord says. "It was the first time in 11 months he had even acknowledged a nightclub."

As part of the government's four-step plan, Mr Johnson said nightclubs in England could reopen "no earlier than 21 June" when it is hoped that "all legal limits on social contact can be removed".It is great news for the industry - if clubs in England can survive until then.

Nightclubs are one of the few businesses that have been forced to close for the entirety of the Covid crisis after restrictions were first introduced last March.By the time June comes around, they will have been closed for 15 months.

And there is no guarantee that clubs will reopen then, since removing restrictions depends on many other factors, such as the continuing success of the Covid vaccine programme and avoiding a surge in hospitalisations.

'Toughest nuts to crack'
The entire night time industry - which contributes £66bn to the UK economy - has been hit hard by the country's many lockdowns.

But while pubs and bars have been allowed to reopen for short periods, albeit with controversial rules such as the 10pm curfew, nightclubs haven't had even that.

A report published this month by the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Night Time Economy found that UK nightclubs have been forced to make 51% of their staff redundant since last year.

That compares to bars who have axed 32% of their workers, pubs that have laid off 25% of their employees and live music venues who have made 36% of their staff redundant.

Michael Kill, chief executive of the Night Time Industries Association, which represents the sector, reckons that by the time clubs can reopen, there will be between 40% and 50% fewer operating in the UK compared to a pre-Covid total of 1,446 venues.

Operationally, reopening nightclubs presents its own challenges. Mr Johnson said that clubs have been one of the "toughest nuts to crack".

He suggested that vaccinations as well as lateral flow testing could be the key to unlocking their doors.

But Luke Laws, operations director at London nightclub Fabric, says that doing lateral flow testing on the door would be a logistical nightmare.

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