The number of pubs, bars, restaurants and other licensed premises fell by 1% over the period to 98,319, representing 977 net closures. On a quarter-on-quarter basis, numbers have dropped by 0.2%, or 245 sites, since June.
The scale of the churn is highlighted by figures for the three months to the end of September, when 2,436 venues closed their doors, an average of around 27 a day. A further 2,191 venues opened during the same period, often in premises vacated by previous operators.
Casual dining was among the hardest-hit segments, with venue numbers falling by 2.2% year-on-year. The sector has now contracted by 23.4% since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
The figures echo data from the NIQ RSM Business Tracker, which has recorded sub-inflation growth for managed groups for 16 consecutive months.
NIQ’s latest Business Confidence Survey, conducted with Zonal, also found that just 37% of hospitality leaders were optimistic about their business prospects over the next 12 months.
“Net closures of nearly 1,000 licensed premises in the last 12 months highlight the pile-up of challenges facing hospitality,” says Karl Chessell, director of hospitality operators and food, EMEA at NIQ.
“While there are encouraging pockets of growth, the general direction of travel is obvious, and the sector is now entering a critical couple of months.
“Meaningful support on this burden of costs is needed to protect thousands of vulnerable businesses from closure.
“With the right backing, alongside a stimulus to consumer spending, hospitality can give the UK economy the injection of growth and job creation that it needs.”
Accommodation-led hospitality recorded growth, with licensed hotel numbers increasing by 0.2% in the year to September, while the holiday and caravan park sector grew by 0.7%.