For too long Birmingham has punched below its weight as a mid-market leisure destination. While it has plenty to cater for the hordes of hen and stag parties rampaging down Broad Street, and at the other end of the spectrum boasts four Michelin-starred restaurants, in between is a gaping hole.
As the city redefines itself through major redevelopment and challenges the perceptions of both operators and their clientele, that hole is finally being filled.
High-profile openings such as The Botanist bar on Temple Street, Opus Bar at One Snow Hill and Cosy Club on Bennetts Hill have turned heads. With a host of other new arrivals either in the process of agreeing terms or on the hunt for space, Birmingham’s leisure scene is being transformed this year.
“In a period of 18 months we could see more than 30 new bar and restaurant operators in the city centre,” says BWD director Guy Webber. “We are seeing an explosion of mid-market leisure.”
New mixed-use developments are finally providing the type of units that meet modern occupier requirements.
The revamped Mailbox has attracted Gas Street Social, a joint venture between Birmingham and London bar operators, while the £150m Grand Central scheme has secured around a dozen restaurants and bars, due to start opening in September. Names include Tapas Revolution, Vietnamese restaurant Pho, a specialist prosecco bar from Frizzenti and Italian restaurant Caffe Concerto.
Further down the line, multi-million-pound schemes such as Arena Central and Paradise Circus will incorporate a major chunk of leisure provision.
“We have seen a seismic shift in how operators perceive Birmingham,” says Bilfinger GVA’s Alastair Robertson-Dunn. “That is partly down to all the new development underway and the fact that the city is doing a far better job of promoting itself.”
He adds: “Birmingham’s leisure pitches are patchy and disjointed, with operators not knowing quite where to go. It is only now that quality space is becoming available and everything is turning out to be more joined up.”
That greater cohesion will not only benefit new development projects, but is forcing operators to take a much closer look at the city’s commercial core. Discerning office workers have been offered little beyond the mainstream fare. Yet, small chains and independents are finally testing the water.
In May, Living Ventures opened The Botanist on Temple Street. Located within the central office core, within easy reach of New Street Station and the retail core, it is rumoured that the bar is trading far beyond expectations, netting around £85,000 a week.
Living Ventures chief executive Tim Bacon says: “We opened bars in Brindleyplace and Broad Street in the late 1990s and early 2000s, but found it a very tough city to trade in. Broad Street was particularly rough and we bypassed Birmingham from then on to focus on the likes of Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds.”
He adds: “When the Temple Street opportunity came up I looked again at the demographics and decided I had dismissed Birmingham for too long. The city has changed so much and it astounds me this part of the market has not been catered for.”
So impressed is Bacon that he is looking to spend £7m extending Living Ventures’ reach to four other sites across the city.
The group has purchased the James Brindley canalside pub between Brindleyplace and The Mailbox. It is on the verge of signing deals to bring Alchemist and Gusto to Birmingham, with the potential for Australasia and Grand Pacific to follow suit.
Bacon would not be more specific, but agents suggest Gusto and Alchemist will form part of Hortons’ Estate’s transformation of The Grand Hotel on Colmore Row. The first retail and leisure units will be ready for occupation in September and rumours are that Argentinian steakhouse Goucho is set
to sign.
“There are a growing number of small chains and independents coming to Birmingham prepared to have a go,” says Fleurets director Paul Newby.
Meanwhile, award-winning Indian restaurant group Lasan is to open a Nosh & Quaff at 130 Colmore Row, while the likes of Bill’s and Burger & Lobster are also on the lookout.
“Given the competition for space, we found it hard to secure a suitable unit,” says Raj Manek, property manager at Loungers. Loungers opened Cosy Club in the former Midlands Bank building on Bennetts Hill back in May, after enjoying success in five Birmingham suburbs.
“We knew we had to get into the city centre before we missed the boat,” says Manek. “We had to raise our bid three times to secure space.”
According to Bilfinger GVA, Bullring leisure rents now stand at round £55 per sq ft and are close to £50 per sq ft at Brindleyplace and The Mailbox, while the level around Temple Street is £25 per sq ft. These compare with a headline of £60 per sq ft in Manchester – a relative bargain in the eyes of London operators.
Robertson-Dunn says: “Given the level of demand and development, there is no reason why Birmingham cannot exceed Manchester’s rents and become the dominant regional leisure city.”
Edgbaston exploits rising demand
Birmingham’s suburbs are also poised to cash in on demand for mid-market leisure. In Edgbaston, leisure lies at the heart of plans to transform the 1,500-acre Calthorpe Estate.
Located just a mile outside the city centre, leafy Edgbaston is one of Birmingham’s most affluent suburbs and is attracting considerable interest from leisure operators.
Calthorpe Estates has already drawn a number of new names to its high-end retail and leisure destination, The Village.
“We are already home to Michelin restaurant Simpsons and in the last 12 months have attracted a number of new bars and restaurants,” says Calthorpe’s marketing director, Jayne Herrity.
Edgbaston’s gastro quarter incorporates the likes of Thai restaurant Blue Piano, together with cocktail bar and boutique hotel, The Edgbaston. New arrivals include Peach Pubs’ The High Field, Praza by Pushkar Indian Bar and Grill, and tapas restaurant El Borracho de Ora. Meanwhile, Simpsons is being both refurbished and extended.
“We are giving Edgbaston a new heart and the start of that is about improving the food offer,” says Herrity. “That will include a mix of multiples and independents.”
