When the patrons of Watford's Przym nightclub celebrated New Year's Eve a year ago, they were marking the end of an era - or rather, seven eras. Like every beloved local club, the venue had been known by multiple names over the years: Top Rank, Bailey's, Paradise Lost, Kudos, Destiny and Oceana. Now it will be reincarnated no more after failing to reach a deal with its landlord.
Matt Turmaine, the Labour MP for Watford, used to go dancing there in his younger days. "It's part of that cultural makeup, where you look back, maybe cringing a bit," he said, speculating that many of his constituents will have had their "first snog" on its dancefloor.
Britain's nightclub industry is in trouble as a result of cultural, economic and legislative factors that leading clubland figures say must be addressed before it is too late. The decline has been precipitous. In 2013, the UK had 1,700 nightclubs. By June 2024 there were fewer than half that number: just 787, according to figures from the analysts CGA by NIQ and AlixPartners, before a slight resurgence in recent months.
The Covid-19 pandemic, which in effect shut down the industry for months on end, accelerated the decline, putting paid to more than a third of Britain's clubs, the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) has said. If the pace of decline continued, the NTIA warned, by 2030 there would be no clubs left.
Watford Pryzm was one of 17 venues that closed in early 2024 with the collapse into administration of Britain's biggest nightclub company, Rekom UK. Rekom's woes are a proxy for the woes of the broader sector. Before Covid, the business was known as Deltic, operating 52 bars and clubs and turning regular annual profits.
When the pandemic plunged the company into administration in late 2020, its underlying model remained attractive. Rekom, a Scandinavian nightlife group, made its move with a rescue deal.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 28, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 28, 2024-Ausgabe von The Guardian.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
New year refresh A month-by-month guide to sorting out your finances
Rupert Jones and Hilary Osborne offer a checklist of the vital tasks you need to tackle throughout the year, from filing your tax return to making the most of your holiday cash
Lost in music How Britain's clubs are disappearing fast - and why they are worth rescuing
When the patrons of Watford's Przym nightclub celebrated New Year's Eve a year ago, they were marking the end of an era - or rather, seven eras.
Nissan shares down 15% as investors react to plan for merger
Shares in the Japanese carmaker Nissan have taken their biggest fall since August's stock market sell-off, as investors turned their attention to the company's planned tie-up with domestic rivals Honda and Mitsubishi.
Climbing out of trouble? Rise in share price suggests BA's turbulent days may be over
It's been a long and turbulent time since anyone used British Airways' old slogan \"the world's favourite airline\" with a straight face.
North-south divide flips as EU's periphery beats core economies
The European Central Bank is facing a tough balancing act in 2025, trying to navigate a reversal of fortunes in eurozone economies as the hardest-hit nations of the 2010s debt crisis outperform the traditional core.
Number of retailers on the brink of collapse up by 25%
Footfall levels up 18% on Christmas Eve compared with last year.
London-listed mining company halts operations in Mozambique
The London-listed mining company Gemfields said yesterday it had temporarily halted its ruby mining operation in Mozambique after groups \"took advantage\" of political unrest to attempt to invade and set fire to its site, resulting in two deaths.
Aid convoy reaches besieged area of Sudanese capital
An aid convoy has reached a besieged area of Khartoum for the first time since Sudan's civil war broke out in April 2023, bringing food and medicines in a country where half of the people are at risk of starvation.
Mexico The mayor who turned wasteland into a utopia
Mexico City's mayor, Clara Brugada, has never been afraid to court controversy and has taken some imaginative steps in her efforts to undo decades of economic and cultural inequality.
Crisis on cat island On Aoshima, is time finally running out for human and feline inhabitants?
The reason for Aoshima's nickname is clear before we set foot on the island.
