The latest Hospitality Market Monitor from NIQ, powered by CGA, found there were 98,564 licensed premises operating at the end of June, virtually unchanged from the end of March and just 0.2% lower than the same point last year.
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It also marked a slight improvement on the 0.3% decline recorded between January and March.
However, operators continued to face a challenging trading environment throughout the quarter, with subdued consumer confidence and persistent cost inflation, exacerbated by conflict in the Middle East.
These pressures contributed to the closure of 1,839 licensed venues between March and June – the equivalent of around 20 sites a day.
Though many shuttered businesses were quickly reoccupied, with 1,794 new licensed premises opening during the same period, leaving the overall estate largely unchanged despite the high level of churn.
Bars were highlighted as a particularly bright spot for the sector during the quarter.
Wider market
There were 4,695 bars in operation at the end of last month, with 515 having opened within the previous 12 months.
During the second quarter alone, 191 bars launched, averaging almost 15 new openings each week.
The sector has now grown by 1.4% year on year and is 3.1% larger than it was before the pandemic in March 2020.
City centres also continued to outperform the wider market.
While the total number of licensed premises across Britain declined by 0.2% over the past year, city centre venues increased by 0.4%.
Around 15 of the 20 British cities with the largest hospitality sectors recorded either growth or remained flat, led by Liverpool, where outlet numbers rose 4%, followed by Brighton at 2.2%.
Although all 20 cities still have fewer licensed premises than before the pandemic, several are now approaching pre-Covid levels.
Ongoing challenges
Commenting on the findings, NIQ director hospitality operators and food EMEA Karl Chessell said: “At a top-line level it was a stable second quarter of 2026 for hospitality, but a flat number of outlets conceals a lot of changes and challenges beneath the surface.
“Fast turnover is a concerning sign of the fragility of businesses, but it is also a welcome indicator of the confidence of entrepreneurs and investors.
“With inflation and low spending confidence set to persist, stability in numbers will be hard to sustain.
“While the new Prime Minister’s announcement of cuts to business rates for pubs and clubs may prove a lifeline for some businesses on the edge, the sector still needs additional support to achieve long-term stability.”
The figures come against a backdrop of continued pressure on the pub sector.
Separate data published by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) earlier this year showed the UK recorded a net loss of 350 pubs in 2025.
It followed a similar decline the previous year, underlining the ongoing challenges facing operators despite signs of resilience elsewhere in hospitality.
