Corney & Barrow transfers Waterloo's Cabin bar to SSP UK
The premium bar, which opened within the station in July last year, will become part of SSP's estate on 13 November and will join the group's portfolio of premium bars at railway stations and airports.
SSP UK & Ireland chief executive Mark Angela said: “We are very pleased to be including Cabin in our growing portfolio of premium bars, such as The Merchant at Liverpool Street and The Grain Loft at Manchester Airport. Bars and pubs form a key part of our strategy as we focus on upgrading our estate and introducing premium offers as part of the mix.
“We will continue to invest and bring innovation to this sector to ensure we continue to deliver an exceptional experience for customers. We have invested in the team to do this. Barry Gifford is our operations director and earlier in the year, we appointed Lucy Knowles from Corney & Barrow Bars to the position of chief marketing officer to drive this sector of our business. Lucy will be supported by Natalia Di Palma who has a wealth of experience heading up the marketing at Drake & Morgan.”
Strategic review
Cabin, designed in the style of the Orient Express and serving a British tapas menu of dishes such as pork pies, Scotch eggs and black pudding alongside specialist ales and wines, was set to be a major part of Corney & Barrow's expansion strategy when it launched, but managing director Ed Gardner said a strategic review of the company's bar estate had led to a decision to terminate the company's interest in it.
“Our priority going forward is to consolidate and build on our pre-eminent position within the Square Mile and Canary Wharf. We have a number of key investment plans for the City estate and this realignment of resources will enable us to focus on our core strengths as the economy and trading conditions around us improve. No other disposals are contemplated at this time," he said.
