LIVING Ventures have announced a second closure in the Blackhouse group following a strategic review of the brand.
...although they’ve offloaded two suburban Blackhouse sites in less than six months, the brand will continue to expand into city centre locations
The Hale Grill on Ashley Road – a mainstay of the Cheshire culinary scene for over a decade – closed with immediate effect on Monday 19 September.
The group have stated their intention to reassign staff – who were told of the news on the morning of the closure - to other Living Ventures venues.
The news follows the closure of the Grill on the Edge in May, which will relaunch under LV’s upmarket cocktail brand, The Alchemist, in November (more here).
Paul Moran, MD of the Blackhouse group, told Confidential:
“Living Ventures can confirm that The Hale Grill has ceased trading as of Monday 19th September, the closure follows a strategic review of the Blackhouse brand.
“The Hale Grill has had ten great years in Hale and Living Ventures are confident that all of the restaurant team will be relocated to other Living Ventures venues.”
Hale Grill has reportedly been snapped up by CôteConfidential understands that French brasserie chain, Côte, have snapped up the site as it continues its expansion into the North West, following the launch of restaurants in Manchester and Liverpool and the recent acquisition of a unit on Bridge Street in Chester city centre.
We had a brief chat with Living Ventures CEO Jeremy Roberts, who told us that although they’d offloaded two suburban Blackhouse sites in less than six months, the brand – which has restaurants in Manchester, London, Leeds and Glasgow - would continue to expand into city centre locations, with a move on Liverpool expected sometime next year.
Earlier this year Living Ventures – which also operates Australasia, Artisan and Manchester House - launched their eleventh Manchester venue, Red Door, beneath the Botanist on Deansgate.
Meanwhile, the expansion of Alchemist – first opened in Manchester’s Spinningfields in 2011 - continues apace following a £18m private equity boost from Palatine, with new sites announced in Liverpool, Newcastle and Birmingham.
Earlier this year Living Ventures founder and hospitality mogul, Tim Bacon, passed away following a long battle with cancer. Though it would appear it’s very much full steam ahead at LV HQ… no less than Mr Bacon would have expected.
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