Rail strikes to inflict £387 million hit on hospitality
April 4, 2024
The sector stands to lose almost £400 million in lost sales due to the latest disruption.
Industrial action across the rail network from Friday 5 April to Monday 8 April is estimated to cost the hospitality sector £387 million.
Strikes in 2024 have cost businesses close to £750 million in lost business, and the total impact since the start of the dispute in 2022 has now totalled £5 billion.
'Collateral damage'
Kate Nicholls, Chief Executive of UKHospitality, said: “The cumulative cost of rail strikes continues to pile up for hospitality businesses, with potential lost sales of up to £387 million over the next four days alone.
“There is never a good time for strikes but this disruption will be particularly damaging.
“Families looking to enjoy the Easter holidays will now find plans disrupted and hospitality businesses trying to generate much-needed sales will see customer numbers dwindle.
“As April marks the cost of wages and business rates increasing annually by £3.4 billion for hospitality, businesses were looking to a successful Easter to help cover those new costs. That now looks like an increasingly difficult prospect.
“Hospitality continues to suffer as collateral damage in this dispute and it’s putting at risk the many ways hospitality serves Britain – through offering great experiences, employing millions of people and putting billions of pounds into the economy.
“This dispute has gone on for far too long and we need all parties to urgently get back round the table to negotiate. A solution that brings ongoing disruption to an end will be good for workers, businesses and the economy.”
