Restart Grant eligibility
Types of business and their definitions
Non-essential retail:
A business that is open to the public and is used mainly or wholly for the purposes of retail sale or hire of goods or services by the public, where the primary purpose of products or services provided are not necessary to the health and well-being of the public.
Eligibility will be assessed using these criteria:
- Businesses offering in-person non-essential retail to the general public.
- Businesses that were likely to have been required to cease their retail operation in the January 2021 lockdown.
- Businesses that sell directly to consumers.
Hospitality:
A business whose main function is to provide a venue for the consumption and sale of food and drink.
Eligibility will be assessed using these criteria:
- Businesses offering in-person food and drink services to the general public.
- Businesses that provide food and/or drink to be consumed on the premises, including outdoors.
Accommodation:
A business whose main lodging provision is used for holiday, travel and other purposes.
Eligibility will be assessed using these criteria:
- Businesses that provide accommodation for 'away from home' stays for work or leisure purposes.
- Businesses that provide accommodation for short-term leisure and holiday purposes.
Leisure:
A business that provides opportunities, experiences and facilities, in particular for culture, recreation, entertainment, celebratory events and days and nights out.
Eligibility will be assessed using these criteria:
- Businesses that may provide in-person intangible experiences in addition to goods.
Personal Care:
A business which provides a service, treatment or activity for the purposes of personal beauty, hair, grooming, body care and aesthetics, and wellbeing.
Eligibility will be assessed using these criteria:
- Businesses that deliver in-person holistic, beauty and hair treatments.
- Businesses that provide services such as tattoos and piercings.
Sports and Gym:
A commercial or non-profit establishment where physical exercise or training is conducted on an individual basis or group basis, using exercise equipment or open floor space with or without instruction, or where individual and group sporting, athletic and physical activities are participated in competitively or recreationally.
Eligibility will be assessed using these criteria:
- Businesses that offer in-person exercise and sport activities to the general public.
- Businesses that open to members of the public paying an entry or membership fee.
- Businesses that offer exercise classes or activities, which may mandate space and no masks etc.
Types of businesses eligible
This table sets out types of businesses that are eligible under the sector thresholds for the Restart Grant scheme. This list is not exhaustive, but indicative of the types of businesses that can be supported under this scheme.
| Support type | Type of businesses eligible | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-essential retail | Betting offices Departmental stores Markets (other than livestock) Sales kiosks Showrooms, e.g. kitchen, bathroom, tile, glazing Tobacco and vape stores Antiques stores Sales offices Travel agents Electronic goods and mobile phone shops Clothes shops Book shops Jewellers Stationery shops Gift shops Make-up shops |
Auction rooms Car auction Car showrooms Car supermarkets Car washes (standalone) Car/caravan Sales/display/hiring Sites Charity shops Carpet stores Furniture shops Sofa shops Homeware shops Florists Plant nurseries Animal groomers Sweet shops Photography studios |
| Hospitality | Food courts Public houses/pub restaurants Restaurants |
Roadside restaurants Wine bars Cafes |
| Leisure | Bingo halls Bowling alleys Casinos and gambling clubs Cinemas Ice rinks Museums and art galleries Roller skating rings Stately homes & historic houses Theatres Zoos & safari parks Amusement parks Pleasure piers Pavilions Conference centres Exhibition centres including for use as banquet halls and other events Wedding venues Events venues Heritage railways Public halls Night clubs & discotheques Hostess bars |
Sexual entertainment venues Shisha bars, waterpipe consumption venues Arenas Concert halls Go kart rinks Model villages Tourist attractions Aquaria Miniature railways Theme parks Amusement arcades including adult gaming centres Animal attractions at farms Wildlife centres Botanical gardens Circus Visitor attractions at film studios Soft play centres or areas Indoor riding centres Clubs & institutions Village halls & scout huts, cadet huts etc. |
| Accommodation | Caravan parks Caravan sites and pitches Chalet parks Coaching inns Country house hotels Guest & boarding houses Hostels Hotels |
Lodges Holiday apartments, cottages or bungalows Campsites Boarding houses Canal boats or other vessels B&Bs Catered holiday homes Holiday homes |
| Personal care | Spas, sauna and steam rooms Tanning salons Nail salons Massage centres, massage treatments Tattoo and piercing studios Holistic therapy (reflexology, massage, acupuncture) |
Hairdressing salons Barbers, groomers Beauty salons Beauticians, aesthetics Other non-surgical treatments |
| Sports and gym | Dance schools and centres Dance studios Gymnasia/fitness suites Cricket centres Ski centres Sports and leisure centres Outdoor sports centres Outdoor adventure centres |
Squash courts Tennis centres Sports courts Swimming pools Shooting and archery venues Driving ranges Water sport centres Golf courses |
Types of business excluded
This table sets out types of businesses that are excluded from the Restart Grant scheme.
| Support type | Type of businesses excluded | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-essential retail |
Food retailers, including food markets, supermarkets, convenience stores, corners shops, off licences, breweries, pharmacies, chemists, newsagents |
Animal rescue centres and boarding facilities |
| Hospitality | Businesses whose main service is a takeaway or food kiosk | |
| Leisure | All retail businesses Coach tour operators |
Tour operators Telescopes |
| Accommodation | Private dwellings Education accommodation Residential homes |
Care homes Residential family centres Beach huts |
| Personal care | Businesses that only provide personal care goods, rather than services Businesses used solely as training centres for staff, apprentices and others Businesses providing dental services Opticians Audiology services |
Chiropody Chiropractors Osteopaths Other medical or health services, including services which incorporate personal care services, treatments required by those with disabilities and services relating to mental health |
| Sports and gym | Home gyms Home exercise studios |
Home sports courts Home sports grounds |