Oldham's last nightclub closed down and staff laid off

Liquid and Envy, based on Retiro Street in Oldham town centre, was the only nightclub left in the town, however, it has now closed down and the staff have been made redundant.

It comes after Rekom UK, the UK's biggest nightclub firm and owner of Liquid and Envy,  drafted in administrators as part of a major restructuring earlier this month.

In a statement, Peter Marks, chairman of Rekom, said: “Following a review of our business, we were unable to reach an agreement with our landlord and have been forced to hand back the lease of Liquid & Envy, Oldham. Sadly, this means the club has closed and our team has been made redundant.

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“While we understand the impact this will have on the local late-night economy, it’s important to recognise that this decision follows an extremely difficult period for the sector, due to the combination of the cost-of-living crisis hitting younger generations and students particularly hard, as well as the rising costs including the national minimum wage which particularly affects hospitality, alongside increased business rates and many other costs of operating.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our guests and teams who have made Liquid & Envy such an iconic venue for a great night out over the years.”

Rekom, which owns brands including Atik and Pryzm, said the decision to hire administrators came after an “extremely difficult” year for the late-night sector amid pressure from the cost-of-living crisis and surges in the costs of energy and goods.

It said tough conditions have particularly affected some of its “larger nightclubs”.

Liquid and Envy is one of 17 sites across the UK belonging to Rekom which is set to close, leading to approximately 471 total redundancies, according to Jon Roden, restructuring partner for Grant Thronton UK LLP.