​London nightclub Egg said they lost £20,000 every night in lockdown

The Managing Director of London’s Egg nightclub revealed that during the lockdown, the venue lost around £20,000 per night that it was shut.

Hans Christian Hess, MD of Egg, told My London that he is now worried about the further impact of COVID passports - the new system set to be introduced in late September - and said that he feels “apprehensive” about the government’s decision.

Hess has worked at the London venue for 17 years. Usually open five nights a week, the club took a huge financial hit during the pandemic much like many other venues around the UK with little to no government backing.

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“We’ve been shut for 18 months and it’s been really hard. Brexit together with COVID has definitely been an issue,” said Hess.

He added, “bills are adding up and authorities are not helping with the guidelines and restrictions. It’s been a nightmare.”

Since clubs reopened in England on July 19, 75% of nightlife businesses lost staff due to the “pingdemic”, the result following that asks anyone who’s been in close contact with an infected person to stay at home and isolate.

Hess argued that this caused a lot of clubbers to stay at home during the reopening weekends of Egg, but have since implemented COVID regulations to ensure clubbers stay safe - such as asking for proof of vaccinations, negative test, or recovery.

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“We’re happy. We’ve been quite busy. People have been getting down and the vibe has been really good. We’ve had lots of young people, which is really good for the younger generation and those who haven’t experienced nightlife before,” he said.

In July, Boris Johnson announced the introduction of COVID passports from the end of September, which will be needed on entry into the club.

“It will be really difficult for us. I’m feeling a bit apprehensive,” said Hess. “I hope we’ll still be trading, but we’re just trying to take it one step by one step.”

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Twitter