Figures from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker showed like-for-like trading in restaurant chains down 75%, with managed pubs down 67% and bars tumbling 88%.
“Many pubs and restaurants, especially away from London, had stayed open even with dwindling trade after prime minister Boris Johnson’s warning at the start of the week for people to avoid going out. The closure order on Friday obviously then killed all business overnight,” said Phil Tate, group chief executive of CGA, a business insight consultancy firm.
“It was pretty clear that more and more businesses would have shut up shop anyway even without the closure and then lockdown orders.”
The current nationwide lockdown means that only pubs and restaurants providing takeaway or a delivery services will continue to operate.
