Hard-up students cutting back on midweek nights out have left town centres empty and bars and clubs struggling to stay afloat, the boss of the UK’s biggest nightclub chain has said.
Peter Marks, the chief executive of Rekom, which owns the Pryzm and Atik chains, said high rents and all round increases in the cost of living mean many young people are either coming out later in the evening or not at all. He blamed the financial squeeze on students for the company’s decision to shut nearly half of its 35 venues and let go of 500 staff in cities and towns including Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Windsor and Wrexham last month.
