Accommodation and food services mostly shutdown in April
Friday 12th June 2020
The distribution, hotels and restaurants sector consists of industries which predominately require footfall of people so it is unsurprising that restrictions imposed in response to the coronavirus pandemic have hit hard as the movement and gathering of people is curtailed.
Overall, activity fell by 37.3% in April compared to March, when it had fallen by 14% compared to February. This means that in April, activity was almost half (down 46%) of what it was in the same month last year.
Source: Office for National Statistics
Within this part of the services sector there have been some specific industries which have almost stopped all activity in the last month. Motor trades, accommodation and food services all saw a near 90% drop in activity in April, meaning that following on from the falls recorded in March, activity is now less than a tenth of what it was in April 2019. Wholesale an retail activities have dropped sharply, but within these industries there are pockets such as food that have been less adversely affected by the lockdown.
Source: Office for National Statistics
The next set of figures will relate to May 2020 and it is unlikely any recovery in the sector will be seen until restrictions are gradually lifted.