It’s been revealed today that seven Southport food businesses, including popular bars and restaurants, have been forced into liquidation in the last 12 months.
Data collected by industry lobby group UK Hospitality shows the number of restaurants in Britain has declined by 3,415 since March 2020 – a fall of 18%.
The issue isn’t isolated to Southport and during the first three months of 2023, an average of six restaurants were affected every day.
According to data published by Sky News today there are seven town centre food businesses, including Ho Lee Chows and Remedy Coffee Lord Street which went into voluntary liquidation since 2022.
While some bars and restaurants closed for good, others like Ra Bar and Roberto’s that went into voluntary liquidation have continued to survive.
According to Companies House Ra Bar on Lord Street went into voluntary liquidation in February 2023 but, unlike others in the town who have been forced to take on liquidation status, the bar remains open for business.
“We’re really facing a perfect storm,” says UK Hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls.
“These businesses faced a challenge going through COVID, and as a result of that they’ve got very high levels of debt. So, interest rate rises have impacted on their ability to remain viable.”
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