£30bn lost revenue in second quarter
The closure of hospitality sites across the UK in mid-March resulted in sales from April and June totalling just £4.6bn, down by £29.6bn from £34.2bn in the second quarter of 2019, according to the UKHospitality Tracker collated by CGA.
The rolling annual value of the sector has now dipped below £100bn, with 12-month sales to the end of June totalling £97.2bn. This is in comparison to the £133.5bn sum hospitality contributed to the UK economy in 2019, following 3.9% growth.
Kate Nicholls, chief executive of UKHospitality, said the data was further proof that businesses would need continued support into next year to recover trade and protect jobs.
Support needed
She said: “These latest figures highlight how precarious the present situation is. While it’s great some businesses are trading again, for many opening their doors remains unviable, while some parts of hospitality are still legally required to stay closed. We are only on the very first steps in a long recovery. These figures substantiate our message that businesses still need support from [the] Government, if we want to avoid more business failures and job losses.”
Phil Tate, group chief executive of CGA, said: “Our tracker data is the clearest picture yet of the calamitous impact of the pandemic on hospitality. Hospitality was one of the first sectors to go into full-on lockdown and one of the last to come out, and the result was a virtual wipeout of sales in the second quarter.
“This is a resilient and dynamic industry, and its reopening in July has given the whole country a lift, but Covid-19 has brought unprecedented and existential challenges. Hospitality needs and deserves the support of the Government and public as it begins the long road to recovery.”
