THE former Halo nightclub owes nearly £400,000 after suddenly shutting its doors following 11 years of business.

The popular venue based inside a church on Exeter Road in Bournemouth went into voluntary liquidation in March 2023 after “battling a perfect storm of cashflow problems.”

Halo, which was operated by Triangle Bars Limited, suffered setbacks as a result of lockdown in 2020.

The club survived through government grants and negotiating a rent reduction before changing to seated service to align with covid-restrictions.

Administrator Leonard Curtis said the venue’s profits were halted by the cost-of-living crisis and energy crisis.

Customers began spending less, or nothing at all, inside the club whilst bills climbed.

In March 2023, the directors sough advice and made the decision to cease trading.

Five months later in September 2023, Halo entered voluntary liquidation.

Triangle Bars Ltd now owe almost £400,000, including over £85,000 to the tax services at HM Revenue & Customs.

Another £80,000 is listed to a commercial lender and a total of over £100,000 to debt management services.

Joint administrator Mike Fortune said: “Hospitality has been feeling the pinch since Covid, particularly due to economic factors leading potential customers to have less disposable income.

“Another challenge for the night-time economy is the change in drinking habits for target demographics, meaning venues have been struggling to generate footfall and increase average spends.

“There will still be difficult times ahead for the hospitality industry, and we always advise business owners facing any challenge to engage with their advisors as early as possible.”

Almost £15,000 is owed to former owner, Ty Temel, who blamed the closure on the “dying” nightclub scene.

He previously said: "I think the biggest thing has a been cultural shift, I feel British culture around the nightclubbing scene is dying.

"Unfortunately, you have students that are pinched by a cost of living crisis and also a behavioural change in people drinking less alcohol."

The town centre also saw the closure pf Revolution Bar on Old Christchurch Road, which announced its shock closure in April this year.

The company previously announced it would be shutting some of its venues due to younger customers “feeling strained by the cost of living crisis.”

The Echo contacted Ty Temel for a comment but he had not responded at the time of going to press.