St Helens leisure group eyeing 20 new venues in next three years

Andrew Mikhail and wife Vicky

Mikhail Hotel & Leisure Group is aiming to open 20 venues in the next three years on the back of strong growth for its Irish-themed Punch Tarmey’s bars.

The St Helens-based business recently opened its third venue, within the former Cains brewery in Liverpool, and chairman Andrew Mikhail believes there is scope for wider expansion.

He sees fresh opportunity for the Irish-themed sector, which he says harks back to traditional family values, with a warmth of welcome and familiarity for customers.

“I’ve seen countless amounts of Irish pubs over the years that have popped up and the only thing Irish about them was the name of the bar or pub,” he said.

“Any Irish person that goes into one of our venues always says, ‘this feels like home’, which can only build the brand reputation on solid footing.”

Mikhail Hotel & Leisure Group’s focus on Irish pubs stems from Andrew’s own family history.

“I was always going to open authentic Irish pubs. It was just a case of how.

“The story of my great grandfather, Michael Tarmey nicknamed “Punch Tarmey” for his infamous bare-knuckle boxing ability in the early 1900’s, was an unbelievable story and a solid foundation to build on.

“The question was only ever how we told his story, so we did the family justice in terms of what we created.”

He said in his strategy and planning of the brand and the business, he looked at the best first.

“I admire Tim Martin and how he created Wetherspoons.

“He took on the industry and changed the pub game almost overnight – the man is a legend. He saw an opportunity, took it and smashed it.

“I looked at his model, didn’t want to go down the ‘stack ’em high, sell ’em cheap’ model, and decided to do the opposite.”

He said: “Too many people tried to copy him and failed when the ship had already sailed. I decided to spend more money on the fit-out of my sites to develop the Punch Tarmey’s theme.

“This has resulted in attracting a different demographic and type of customer that pays that little bit more to sit in a higher end outlet.

“As a family man, if I was going to take my wife and four kids out, I asked myself right at the start of us planning the business, where would I want to go given that there were far fewer choices in local pubs?

Punch Tarmey’s Liverpool

“Also, what would I and they want to see?

“That was very much in my thinking when creating the brand’s conceptual ideas.”

He positions the Punch Tarmey’s brand as an authentic Irish pub, but admits the venues are both authentic, and contemporary at the same time.

“The minute you enter, for example, Punch Tarmey’s Liverpool, you can smell the wood, the fixtures, the fittings and, so many guests have walked in and been wowed by the state-of-the-art design and magnitude of everything they can see.”

He maintains that when it comes to Irish pubs in the current market, “the consumer has become very wise, the market has matured, and more people are seeking out a higher quality experience.”

He believes Mikhail Hotel & Leisure Group has been able to make Irish pubs relevant to today’s more demanding consumer using live music as a big factor plus comedy, dance and drama.

“We’re all looking to be entertained in our spare time and a good Irish pub will always do that. We’ve added brilliant teams to welcome our customers, too, and ensure they have an amazing time experiencing a diverse range of entertainment.”

He says his growth plans for Mikhail Hotel & Leisure Group’s Irish pubs’ concept is a minimum of 20 hitting all the big UK cities with the Punch Tarmey’s brand over the next three years.

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