The Government's entrepreneurship adviser says we don't need more restaurants. She's wrong and here's why

"Hospitality employs 2.6 million people in the UK, 7.1% of the entire workforce. It generates £69.5 billion in gross value added. It contributes £54 billion in gross tax receipts annually. It is, by any reasonable measure, not a peripheral cottage industry but a cornerstone of the British economy."

"99.6% of hospitality businesses are SMEs, and 97.7% are small businesses. An adviser appointed to clear the path for more small enterprises might reasonably be expected to know that one of the most entrepreneurially dense sectors in the entire UK economy is the one she has just publicly dismissed."

"Every business deal that gets done in this country, every investment secured, every partnership formed, every client relationship built, happens somewhere and through human contact. It happens over a coffee, over lunch, over dinner, at a networking event, at a conference, at a drinks reception. The hospitality sector is not separate from the high-growth economy that the Government's adviser wants to build. It is the connective tissue of it."

The government's entrepreneurship adviser declared Britain does not need more restaurants, a statement contradicted by substantial economic data. Hospitality employs 2.6 million people, representing 7.1% of the UK workforce, and generates £69.5 billion in gross value added with £54 billion in annual tax receipts. The sector comprises 99.6% SMEs and 97.7% small businesses, making it one of the most entrepreneurially dense sectors in the economy. Beyond statistics, hospitality serves as the connective tissue enabling business deals, investments, partnerships, and client relationships through human contact at meals, networking events, and conferences. Dismissing this sector undermines a fundamental pillar of economic activity and entrepreneurial opportunity.

Read at Business Matters