AN iconic nightclub with a huge cult following could be set to shut for good after 35 years, leaving party fans gutted.
The popular venue will close for 12 weeks at the end of this week, as the club’s owner fights to keep it running.
Jesters coulsd close for good after 35 years[/caption]
Jesters, in Southampton opened back in 1989, and has been described by revellers as being part of the city’s “DNA.”
However, the club has been served a repossession notice, meaning the building, on Bevois Valley Road could be taking back by the bank.
Jesters’ is now at risk of “closing for good”, but owner Alan Green thinks that the venue has a good case for when the matter goes to court.
A fundraiser has now been set up to try and save the club, with a target of £200,000 set for covering essential operating costs whilst university students are away for the summer.
The club revealed that a loan taken out has had its interest increased to an “unpayable” 35 percent, leading to “some of the biggest financial challenges” in the venue’s history.
Alan said of the club, which always closes during the summer, when students return to their hometowns: “It’s usually a bit of a bleak summer, this is why we’re trying to raise the money.
“It’s not quite over just yet. The repossession notice gives us the chance to plead our case in court. We’re going down fighting.”
Party fans have been left devastated by news of the potential closure with Cam Burns, who started the fundraiser on behalf of Alan claiming that Jesters is “not just a club.”
“It is a part of Southampton’s DNA,” he said.
“It is the first social, the last night out, the best memories.”
Former Southampton student Kai McKenzie said: “It had a unique charm about it that would 100 per cent be missed.”
Recent graduate Dan Baverstock added: “It would be a shame if it closed down.”
Cam also noted that the club has been a “launchpad” for talent, with BBC Radio One DJ Chris Stark having performed their whilst studying in Southampton.
This comes after a legendary UK nightclub, rated as one of the world’s best is set to close next month.
Why are retailers closing stores?
RETAILERS have been feeling the squeeze since the pandemic, while shoppers are cutting back on spending due to the soaring cost of living crisis.
High energy costs and a move to shopping online after the pandemic are also taking a toll, and many high street shops have struggled to keep going.
However, additional costs have added further pain to an already struggling sector.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury’s hike to employer NICs from April will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
At the same time, the minimum wage will rise to £12.21 an hour from April, and the minimum wage for people aged 18-20 will rise to £10 an hour, an increase of £1.40.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
It comes after almost 170,000 retail workers lost their jobs in 2024.
End-of-year figures compiled by the Centre for Retail Research showed the number of job losses spiked amid the collapse of major chains such as Homebase and Ted Baker.
It said its latest analysis showed that a total of 169,395 retail jobs were lost in the 2024 calendar year to date.
This was up 49,990 – an increase of 41.9% – compared with 2023.
It is the highest annual reading since more than 200,000 jobs were lost in 2020 in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced retailers to shut their stores during lockdowns.
The centre said 38 major retailers went into administration in 2024, including household names such as Lloyds Pharmacy, Homebase, The Body Shop, Carpetright and Ted Baker.
Around a third of all retail job losses in 2024, 33% or 55,914 in total, resulted from administrations.
Experts have said small high street shops could face a particularly challenging 2025 because of Budget tax and wage changes.
Professor Bamfield has warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
Motion, in Bristol revealed that their lease will not be renewed, leaving revellers heartbroken.
An iconic music venue, which hosted the likes of Coldplay and Oasis is also set to close in the coming months.
The Leadmill in Sheffield lost a battle against eviction, with Liam Gallagher describing the closure as “scandalous”.
Meanwhile, a “One of a kind” Birmingham bar has closed after two “amazing years”, through no fault of their own, its owners claim.
The first of its kind, Exhale Conscious Bar, was Birmingham’s first totally alcohol free bar.
The king of mocktails in a city known for its love of booze, the sober bar added kick in funky ways with CBD-infused botanical cocktails and boutique non-alcoholic beer.
