Be At One, the London-based cocktail bar operator, has secured its 12th and largest site, in Monument, as it eyes another two openings before March 2012.
The 300-capacity Be At One Monument, which will operate on two levels and is held on a free-of-tie lease with Trust Inns, is situated on King William Street, directly opposite the Monument. It is licensed until 2am, on Thursdays, Fridays and weekends, and will open seven days a week.
The new venue, which is set to open in October, will continue the New York theme design of Be At One sites in Shoreditch and Kings Cross and will be modelled on the cocktail bars of Wall Street.
Be At One co-founder Rhys Oldfield said: “Over the last few years the City has become an increasingly vibrant place with more and more retail propositions opening and the level of tourist activity on the up. With next year’s Olympic Games just around the corner, the timing could not be more perfect for the opening of our newest and largest bar.”
He told M&C Report: “We’ve got two other sites in solicitors at the moment. We hope to open two more before March.
“We have an ambitious plan [to expand]. Good sites are always difficult to get hold of.”
Earlier this year, the company appointed Zolfo Cooper to advise it on its investment options for future growth, as it looks to double to size of its then 10-strong estate in London and eventually grow outside the capital.
Oldfield told M&C Report in June that the company had received “some interest” from private equity groups, but he said today that there are no further updates.
The opening of Be At One Monument will correspond with the company hiring its 500th qualified bar tender. The firm spends £5,000 training each bar tender, with total investment in training now reaching around £2.5m.
