With clubs closing and the rise of no-alcohol Britain, is this the death of the big night out?
Big nights out on the town are an undeniable part of British culture – but are they about to be consigned to the memories of those of us born before the turn of the century?
Nightlife experts warn we’re losing one club every two days at the moment – and if we stay on this trajectory, we will have none left by 2030.
“The main reason we’re seeing nightclubs close is that midweek nights have completely fallen away and it’s mainly down to the cost of living,” says Sacha Lord, night-time economy adviser for Greater Manchester.
That was also the reason given by the owner of the UK’s biggest club chain when it announced a slew of closures earlier this month. Rekom, which owns popular club brands Pryzm and Atik, said it would be closing 17 venues because students hit by the cost of living crisis were cutting back on club nights.
Before the pandemic, Mr Lord explains, students would often be clubbing midweek – but now they’re having house parties instead to save money while they grapple with soaring rents and food prices.
“A nightclub business is not sustainable just on a Saturday night and a semi-good Friday night,” he says.
‘We used to hit the wine heavy – not so much now’
There’s another trend that is proving a challenge for nightlife businesses: Generation Z appears to be our most sober one yet.
The Portman Group’s 2023 annual survey with YouGov suggested 39% of 18 to 24-year-olds don’t drink alcohol at all.
While this is welcome in many ways, the UK’s ingrained booze culture means much of our night-time economy is centred around drinking.
Laura Willoughby, who runs Club Soda, an alcohol-free bar and shop, says older people are also starting to cut back on their drinking because they want a healthier lifestyle.
“We hit the wine quite heavy as women in that generation and we’re now hitting menopause so we’re looking to cut back,” she says.
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Laura Willoughby says people want choice more than anything. Pic: Club Soda
A recent report by hospitality research organisation KAM found 5.2 million fewer adults drank weekly last year than in 2021 – with three-quarters of adults moderating their alcohol intake to some extent.
Drinks expert Dan Whiteside believes the availability of information about the bad effects of alcohol and the rise of health influencers are also driving people to cut back.
“People have been going out less for quite some time,” he says.
“Clubs will probably become a thing of the past.”
What about the good old British pub?
Shifts in behaviour are also hitting pubs and restaurants.
It seems inconceivable that the British pub could suffer a similar fate to the nightclub, but experts say people drinking less and choosing to end their nights earlier are forcing many of these businesses to rethink their strategy.
Nearly 400 pubs in England and Wales closed their doors for good in the first half of 2023 – with many also blaming sky-high energy bills, soaring costs of ingredients and difficulties hiring staff.
Liam Davy, head of bars at steakhouse chain Hawksmoor, says: “I live in Hackney, which is one of the most vibrant boroughs in London in terms of late night economy. The number of late night businesses that have shut down or are really struggling, it really speaks to people doing things a little bit earlier.”
Liam Davy has seen a ‘big spike’ in sales of non-alcoholic drinks. Pic: Hawksmoor
So what will tempt customers back?
For Karl Considine, the “alternative choice” his alcohol-free cocktail bar offers appears to be a huge success.
Love From (@love.fromco) in Manchester is regularly packed with people sipping cocktails and enjoying a fun night out – but the difference is, everyone there is sober.
“I’m really clear on that we’re a night-time venue, not a daytime venue – we don’t do coffee, drinks or hot food,” he says.
Pic: Love From/@oliverlawsonfood
Mr Considine himself has struggled with alcohol addiction in the past, when he would find he could “never just have a quiet night” and would “always want to take it further”.
While Love From is a safe space for those in recovery, he is clear the bar is “absolutely” for everyone – including those who are drinkers but just want something different.
Karl Considine has struggled with alcohol addiction – and says his bar is a safe space for all. Pic: Love From/@oliverlawsonfood
Will alcohol-free bars become more popular?
Love From is not the only alcohol-free night-time venue to have popped up in recent years – among others, there’s also London’s LGBT club night House of Happiness and of course Club Soda.
But Ms Willoughby says she doesn’t think we’ll see a huge increase in alcohol-free venues like hers because “what people actually want is choice”.
Inside Club Soda in London. Pic: Club Soda
Many people are cutting down on alcohol rather than giving it up altogether, she says.
Club Soda runs workshops for retailers to learn about alcohol-free products, and those who ended up expanding their alcohol-free menus have seen their group bookings increase.
“Everybody wants to have a nice time – they don’t want to sit there with a tap water or a very sugary soda which they can only have one of – they want to participate fully,” she says.
No longer an afterthought
Low and no-alcohol products are now the fastest growing part of the industry.
Mr Whiteside says the amount and range of products has “exploded” in recent years, and they can be found in most bars and restaurants.
Meanwhile, Mr Davy says he’s seen a “big spike” in sales of non-alcoholic drinks.
His company has started paying more attention to that section of the menu “when to be honest in the past it might have been a bit more of an afterthought or something aimed at kids”.
Hawksmoor has started offering a wider selection of alcohol-free drinks – including this sour cherry no-groni. Pic: Hawksmoor
Although most pub and restaurant chains have adapted and now have better low and no-alcohol drinks menus, he says smaller businesses have been slower to make changes.
And of course it’s more difficult for nightclubs, which are arguably even more centred than alcohol than other businesses.
Then there’s that pervasive marketing problem – the perception that some of these products are overpriced, meaning people will instead opt for a cheap cola or lemonade when they’re not drinking.
So is there anything else businesses can do?
Mr Lord says he has been advising pubs to offer more event-based nights, such as darts or quizzes, to get people back in the door.
This is an opinion shared by Ms Willoughby, who says Generation Z is much more experience-led in their social lives.
“It’s not based around the strength of the drink in their glass and more about lovely evenings out,” she says.
A version of this feature recently appeared in our Money blog here.
A woman casually walks into a convenience store and starts filling a bread crate with goods from one of the aisles.
A shop assistant tries to stop her, but she shrugs him off, undeterred. With the crate now full of items, she leaves without paying.
It is a scenario that is played out day in and day out across Britain, as retailers warn the surge in shoplifting is now “out of control”.
Four in five store owners tell Sky News they’ve experienced shoplifting in the last week.
I’m sitting in the security office of a busy city centre shop and I’m watching as a schoolboy walks in and helps himself to a sandwich, stuffing it into his jacket.
Watching with me is shop worker Anton Mavroianu who positions himself by the main entrance waiting for the youngster to leave.
When the boy does leave, Anton demands the item back. Instead of being frozen with fear that he’s been caught, the boy laughs and walks off.
“All we can do is try to stop them,” Anton tells me. “But this is just another day for us.”
Anton Mavroianu said he has been threatened with a knife while trying to stop shoplifters
A few weeks earlier, when Anton tried to stop a shoplifter who had stolen from the store, the man pulled out a knife and tried to attack him.
This terrifying incident is an example of the very real threat posed to shop workers as they try to stem the tide of brazen thefts.
Shoplifting offences recorded by police in England and Wales have risen to the highest level in 20 years.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC) also reports that theft-related losses cost the retail sector millions each year, adding strain to an industry already grappling with post-pandemic recovery and economic uncertainty.
For small businesses, which lack the resources of larger chains, persistent theft can threaten their very survival.
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Ricky Dougall owns a chain of convenience stores and says shoplifting cost his business around £100,000 last year.
“Shoplifting is a huge problem and it is what stops us from growing the business.
“People come in and help themselves like they own the place and when you call the police, most of the time, they don’t turn up.”
Ricky Dougall said part of the problem is how shoplifting is classified during sentencing
Mr Dougall says part of the problem is how this type of crime is classified.
Sentencing guidelines for thefts of under £200, so-called “low level shoplifting”, were relaxed in 2016. That is being blamed for the surge in cases.
An exclusive Sky News and Association of Convenience Stores survey shows that 80% of shopkeepers surveyed had an incident of retail crime in the past week.
The poll also found 94% of shopkeepers say that in their experience, shoplifting has got worse over the last year, with 83% not confident that the police will take action against the perpetrators of retail crime on their premises.
Paul Cheema from the Association of Convenience Stores says retailers are looking to Government to support them.
“I would say officials do not give a s*** about us retailers,” he tells me. “The losses are too big and I don’t think we can sustain that anymore.
“I would urge Keir Starmer to come and meet us and see up close the challenges that we are facing.”
Retailers have responded by investing heavily in security measures, from advanced surveillance systems to hiring more security staff.
But these investments come at a cost, often passed down to consumers through higher prices.
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I get chatting to Matt Roberts, head of retail in the store I am in. He worries about shoplifting, but he worries about the staff more.
“I would imagine they dread coming to work because they’re always on tenterhooks wondering whether something is going to happen today, whether they are going to have to try and confront someone.
“It’s a horrible feeling. It’s out of control and we need help.”
Matt Roberts says he is concerned for his staff, who have to confront shoplifters
The government has acknowledged the urgency of the issue. Home Secretary-led discussions with retail associations and law enforcement are underway to craft a comprehensive strategy.
In the King’s Speech, the government outlined details of a Crime and Policing Bill, which promised to “introduce stronger measures to tackle low level shoplifting”, as well as introducing a separate offence for assaulting a shop worker.
Children do not feel safe, a charity has warned, as a survey finds two-thirds of teens in England and Wales have a fear of violence.
The charity, which surveyed 10,000 children aged 13-17, found that 20% of teenagers have been victims of violence in the past 12 months.
“I think what shocked me most is how this is a problem that affects all of our children,” said Jon Yates, CEO of the Youth Endowment Fund.
“We found that two-thirds of all teenage children are afraid. And that fear is pretty real for a lot of them.”
He said it’s a fear so palpable that many teenage children are changing their patterns of behaviour, or have had it influence their daily decisions.
One third of teenage children – 33% – reported avoiding areas, whilst around 27% alter their travel routes or avoid public transport altogether to stay safe.
More worryingly, however, some say the fear of violence has led to mental health challenges, with 22% reporting difficulties sleeping, reduced appetite and concentrating in school.
Weapon carrying is also a concern for the charity, especially among vulnerable groups.
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From September: Young gangs of Wolverhampton
In England and Wales, 5% of all 13-17 year olds reported carrying a weapon in the past year, but that figure jumps to 21% for those suspended from school and 36% for children who have been excluded from school.
But Mr Yates said “shockingly” only 12% of children who repeatedly commit violence get any sort of support.
“That’s madness,” he said.
Jay*, 23, from Birmingham said depending on your environment, sometimes violence is hard to avoid.
“I’ve had friends be shot, I’ve got friends who have been stabbed, I had a friend die last month to be fair,” Jay told Sky News.
He said it is “damaging” because you never really get the opportunity to “heal”. He is now being supported by the charity Project Lifeline, but says before then it was difficult to find any hope.
“If you don’t have hope,” Jay added, “you can’t really get anywhere. It’s about finding that hope.”
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Mark Rodney, CEO of Lifeline Project, mentors at-risk young children and said he has learned that “not only the perpetrator carries the knife, the victim sometimes carries the knife”.
“And not only the perpetrator does the killing,” he added. “The victim sometimes does the killing, because that’s where we’re at.”
He said far too many families ask themselves “is my child safe going to school or coming home from school?” and adds the government must “actually start addressing people’s concerns”.
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From September: Home Sec vows to halve knife crime
The report also found that in 93% of cases where teenage children repeatedly harm others, adults intervene with punishments such as school discipline or police involvement.
However, only 12% of these children are offered support aimed at addressing the root causes of violence and preventing further harm.
Mr Yates said: “They go to school, they do something violent. They get excluded.”
He added: “We need to be much better at saying, ‘we’re not going to lose that child. We’re going to keep providing support to them. We’re going to keep providing a mentor’.
“Instead, we let them fall through the cracks”.
A government spokesperson said: “Halving knife crime in a decade is a clear mission this government has set out.
“It is vital to protect vulnerable young people who are too often the victims or perpetrators of this crime.”
*names have been changed
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