Licensed premises drop by 6,000 in 2020

Nearly 6,000 of the UK’s licensed pub, bar and restaurant premises were lost last year, nearly triple the number of closures in 2019, according to the latest Market Recovery Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners. The monitor revealed that the ongoing lockdowns and pressures faced by businesses during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic contributed to a net decline of 5,975 sites in 2020. The decline represents a 5.1% contraction in the market since the end of 2019, and a 175% increase on the 2,171 drop in sites that year.