Pryzm and Atik nightclubs to close 'with immediate effect'

Pryzm on Woodhouse Lane in Leeds was popular with students

A major nightclub chain is shutting down 17 of its venues with the loss of about 470 jobs.

Rekom UK, which owns the Pryzm and Atik brands, said its venues had suffered as the cost-of-living crisis hit younger people's pockets.

Pryzm clubs in Birmingham, Leeds, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Plymouth and Watford are to close immediately.

Atik clubs in Dartford, Romford, Windsor and Wrexham are also among those shutting, it said.

Rekom, which has gone into administration, said it has secured the sale of 11 other sites, saving around 500 jobs.

Twelve of its sites, employing about another 500 jobs, had been "unaffected by the administration process", the group said.

'Extremely difficult'

One of the biggest clubs to shut its doors is the Pryzm club in Leeds city centre, which will result in the loss of 55 staff.

Peter Marks, chairman of Rekom UK, said: "We were unable to reach an agreement with our landlord and have been forced to hand back the lease of Pryzm Leeds.

"Sadly, this means the club has closed and our team has been made redundant.

"This outcome follows an extremely difficult period for the late-night sector, thanks to the combination of the cost-of-living crisis hitting younger generations and students particularly hard, as well as the rising national living wage alongside increased business rates and costs of operating."

Rekom added that it had made "every effort" to redeploy staff across the business.