Sacha Lord warns Manchester hospitality could take five years to recover

Greater Manchester’s evening hospitality economy could reportedly take “five years to recover” from Covid-19, according to the area’s night-time economic advisor Sacha Lord.

According to the BBC, Lord said One in ten night-time businesses could permanently close in the area, and 80% of restaurants have reportedly planned on making redundancies.

It comes as the Treasury has already begun further support for the hospitality sector with an extension of the furlough scheme. Despite this, Lord has warned the rate of recovery for most businesses will be steep.

The BBC also reported that Lord has helped advise Greater Manchester authorities on “financial planning” after the pandemic.

He said: “I have watched in horror as the sector has been thrown to the wolves, and in awe at how those employed within it have maintained a sense of strength, courage and dignity in the face of mass redundancy and business closures.

“Despite the difficulties ahead, I remain confident in the resilience of Greater Manchester’s nightlife scene and its ability to return bigger and brighter, albeit looking significantly different.”

Andy Burnham, Mayor for Greater Manchester, reiterated to the BBC that the city needed “to focus on recovery”.

He said: “We will learn from the difficult experiences of the past few months to build back better than before.”