Sacha Lord calls for general election after bar closure
Industry Bar & Pizza in Droylsden, Greater Manchester, was opened by local tradesmen Mike Quinn, Andy Pierson and Paul Nixon in 2020.
The bar’s owners announced on social media: “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.”
They said that opening at the height of the pandemic was an “enormous challenge”, and the bar has jumped through many hurdles just to stay open.
Plenty of “blood, sweat and tears” has since gone into making the venue what it is, the owners added. However, crippling energy bills, spiralling overheads, lack of Government support, on top of VAT and tax increases had made running the bar unsustainable.
Pub closures
This comes after recent data showed pub closures reached the highest quarterly figure in more than a decade in the second quarter of 2023, with 223 pub businesses entering insolvency.
The owners continued: “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.”
They thanked customers for the support over the years, and said seeing guests enjoy what they had created was the “best part of this whole experience”.
'Heartbreaking'
They also said they were grateful for the hard work, dedication and loyalty of their “amazing” team.
On Twitter, Greater Manchester night time economy adviser Sacha Lord called the announcement “heartbreaking”.
He said: “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.”
The bar was located in a former Lloyds TSB unit opposite the Concord Suite.
