Central Birmingham is seeing an explosion of mid-market leisure operators looking to debut and expand in the city.
The UK’s second city has punched below its weight for too long as a mid-market leisure destination. But now, as it redefines itself via major redevelopment, up to 30 new openings burst onto the scene in the next 18 months, including high-profile openings such as the Botanist Bar on Temple Street and the Cosy Club on Bennetts Hill.
Mixed-use developments such as the Mailbox, Grand Central and Snow Hill are finally providing the type of units to meet modern occupier requirements.
In May, Living Ventures opened the Botanist Bar in the office and retail core. It is rumoured that the bar is trading way beyond expectations, netting circa £85,000 per week.
Tim Bacon, chief executive of Living Ventures, said: “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 Manchester, Liverpool and Leeds.”
But when the Temple Street opportunity came up, Bacon looked at the demographics again. “I decided I had dismissed Birmingham for too long. The city has changed so much.”
Bacon is now looking to spend £7m on expanding Living Ventures to four other sites across the city and is on the verge of bringing Alchemist and Gusto to Birmingham, with the potential for Australasia and Grand Pacific to follow.
