July opening for Be At One's 10th bar in Shoreditch
Cocktail bar chain Be At One’s 10th site in London’s Shoreditch will open next month with another set to follow soon after, the company has confirmed.
Hot on the heels of the launch of the Shoreditch site will be the London chain’s 11th location, the Bok Bar in Covent Garden, which will close for refurbishment after the end of the South African Football World Cup, reopening as a Be At One soon after.
Be At One, which was founded in 1998 by three former TGI bartenders Leigh Miller, Rhys Oldfield and Steve Locke, is currently in negotiations for a third site at an as yet unnamed London location, which is earmarked to open as the chain’s 13th bar later this year.
The company recently stated its intention to open eight new bars within the next two years, and with plenty of leases available is confident of finding five prime locations during 2011 to meet its self imposed target.
Trading strongly despite the recession
Co-founder Miller told BigHospitality that the wet-led business continued to trade strongly despite the recession and current economic uncertainty.
“We do one thing, and we do it well,” said Miller. “People are no longer out three or four times a week, so they want to make the most of it when they do have that single night out. They’re more discerning and want to spend their drinking money wisely, which appears to have served us well as a business.”
