Hundreds of British hospitality businesses shut their doors for good in the final months of 2025, as they warned over further tax hikes following the autumn budget.
Industry data showed that there was a particular jump in closures across restaurants and casual dining business.
Data from NIQ showed that the hospitality sector saw 382 net closures – the equivalent of four each day – in the final three months of 2025.
It represented a downbeat end to the year after a “slight growth” in the number of venues over the first nine months of the year.
The country had 98,914 hospitality sites, covering pubs, restaurants, cafes and other venues, at the end of December as a result.
Experts linked the fall, which took place at a key trading period, to continued inflation for many major costs, as well as fragile consumer confidence and spending.
The number of restaurants slid by 1% between September and December, with a 1.8% fall for casual dining business, representing 241 closures in total.
However, other parts of the sector were more robust, with the number of bars rising by 1% against the previous quarter, with many customers opting to spend on drinks over more expensive meals.