Manchester’s ‘s night-time economy czar Sacha Lord has called for a general election after a bar restaurant at the heart of Droylsden’s regeneration closed citing mounting costs.
Mr Lord has long been vocal about the Government’s treatment of hospitality in the UK, and was one of the leading figures attending a protest in Parliament Square and outside the Treasury in November 2022, and once again the latest closure in the region has motivated him to call out the government, demanding a general election.
He said that the news that Industry Bar & Pizza, had shut down was ‘heartbreaking’.
The restaurant and bar said that they can no longer absorb the ‘crippling’ costs of running a business in 2023, from energy bills to VAT increases, without passing on to customers leading to unsustainable and ‘extortionate prices’.
The team behind the bar/restaurant which opened as the 2020 pandemic broke said it was a decision that hadn’t been made lightly and that they were ‘devastated’ to have to close their doors.
Mr Lord has criticized the current Government once again for their lack of support for hospitality businesses, saying that the government are allowing ‘communities to break up and High Streets to fall apart’.
Taking to social media he said: “Heartbreaking. I met the team at Industry last year, they were lovely. Again, citing Energy as a factor. This Gov’t don’t care about Hospitality. Under their watch communities are breaking up, our High Streets are falling apart. We urgently need a General Election.”
In a statement the Industry said: statement said:
“It is with the heaviest of hearts we have to say that Industry has closed its doors for the final time.
“Industry started as an idea between three friends of opening a nice little bar where you could have a drink and get a bite to eat….the reality became so much bigger than that and exceeded all of our expectations.
“Opening at the height of a global pandemic was an enormous challenge and we had so many hurdles to jump just to stay open. In our first year, we were only allowed to open 5 months out of 12 but we powered through because we believed in our vision.
“Since then, plenty of blood, sweat and tears, from both us and our incredible team, has gone in to making Industry what it has been to date. Sadly, crippling energy bills, spiralling overheads, lack of government support and VAT/tax increases have made our ‘little’ idea unsustainable, without having to charge extortionate prices.
“Please do not think that this is a decision which has been made lightly. We are devastated and we would be grateful if any negative comments could be kept away. We know we haven’t been perfect, but we can assure you that we always tried our best without any regrets.
“Thank you to all our customers for your support over the last few years. Seeing people come in and enjoy what we created has been the best part of this whole experience.
“Last but by no means ever least, thank you to all of our amazing team, both past and present. We are forever grateful for your hard work, dedication and loyalty to us and to Industry. Mike, Paul and Andrew.”
