Steve Locke, chief executive of Be At One, the Piper-backed cocktail bar chain, has said that the group’s expansion is being underpinned by the continued closure of nightclubs across the UK.
The majority of the 30-strong group’s openings outside of London have come through closed nightclub sites.
Its latest regional acquisition is the former Nirvana in Victoria Street, Nottingham.
The company has taken on a new lease from the landlord on the 2500sq ft site, which is licensed to 3am six nights week and is schedule to open in September.
Figures produced last year by the ALMR found that nearly half of the UK’s nightclubs had shut their doors in just 10 years. In 2005 there were 3,144 clubs and this is now down to 1,733.
Locke said: “The cultural move away from the traditional nightclub visit to a more intimate, experience-led night out has certainly provided us with greater opportunities for expansion, especially outside of the capital.”
The group, which has already opened in Sheffield and Manchester this year, will open in Birmingham this Wednesday, with an opening in Liverpool to follow in July.
The company believes it can eventually grow to 120 sites in the UK.
