There are 1.6% more high street pubs and bars operating across the UK since the first Covid lockdown, but the number of nightclubs has decreased by 9.4%.

Ordnance Survey data found 700 more pubs and bars and 150 fewer nightclubs.

According to this data, Scotland saw a rise of 6% in food and drink establishments while the north-west and north-east of England saw a 5% increase. On the other hand, the south-west of England and Wales had the lowest growth.

However, other data paints a different picture... The Pub Closure Report - January to June 2022 conducted by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) revealed that 254 pubs closed down in the second half of 2021 and that number increased to 485 from January to June 2022. In addition, almost three quarters of pubs declared that they were struggling to survive the winter due to the energy crisis.

This data also showed that 65% of operator's utility costs soared by more than 100%, 30% had an increase of 200% and 8% have been hit by more than 500% increases. Nearly 80% of businesses revealed that they cannot afford these rising costs.