The end of the tunnel is still a long way off for nightclubs (in the photo, the Bisous Bisous in Cannes). - SYSPEO / SIPA

The sky is still very dark for the night world. The Minister for SMEs, Alain Griset, announced on Friday financial aid for nightclubs, closed for four months due to the coronavirus pandemic, and which urged the government to grant it a "rescue plan".

But after a meeting with representatives of the nightlife, the minister confirmed that "there is no scheduled date for reopening" establishments in the sector.

50 million euros for 1,600 companies concerned

Regarding the mechanism for covering the fixed costs of festive establishments, rents, water and electricity bills and other costs will be covered up to a maximum of 15,000 euros per month, for three months. That is 10,000 euros more than the sum initially provided for in the aid measures for companies threatened with bankruptcy. "This ceiling covers the charges of approximately 85% to 90% of establishments in the nightlife", Alain Griset told the press. The ministry estimates the total cost of the measure at 50 million euros for 1,600 companies concerned.

From September 10, establishments in the nightlife will benefit from exemptions to have access to aid from the solidarity fund for businesses, set up to deal with the economic crisis caused by Covid-19.

The criteria of turnover, number of employees, loss of income will no longer apply to companies in this sector so as "not to have any risk of business closures," said Alain Griset.

A few more weeks of reprieve

Representatives of the sector, the National Group of Independent Hotel and Catering Industry (GNI-HCR), the French Association of Discotheque and Dance Center Operators (AFEDD), the Union of Hospitality Trades and Industries (UMIH) and the National Union of Discotheques and Leisure Places (SNDLL) welcomed the consideration of the difficulties of their businesses.

“The meeting was interesting, with very rapid decision-making which will allow us to hold out for a few more weeks with this crisis,” said Michaël Fox, of the GNI. But the SNDLL notes that "the content of the exchanges does not meet all our demands", in particular the long-awaited reopening of the establishments. "Today, we are on a drip but it is not with aid that we are going to get by, we absolutely must be able to meet the Minister of Health to find out how to reopen as quickly as possible", pleaded Michael Fox.

On July 12, during a demonstration alongside some 200 professionals in the sector in Paris, Matthieu Lebrun, the spokesperson for Normandy nightclub managers, estimated that "half of the clubs (were going) to disappear", or about 800 nightclubs, if a reopening was not decreed until September.

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