Private equity-backed bar operator to open new venue in Leicester

The operator behind Nottingham’s popular Roxy Ball Room venues is set to open a new site in Leicester.

Roxy Leisure was founded in 2013 and operates bars in Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Liverpool, Manchester, Nottingham, Sheffield and its home city of Leeds. Its venues offer a heady combination of music, food, booze and ball games which “bring the playground to the bar.”

The company opened its first Nottingham venue on Thurland Street in 2017. Private equity investor Foresight Group backed the firm to the tune of £7.5m in 2020 and a second Nottingham site – a 21,000 sq ft venue at The Cornerhouse – soon followed.

Roxy is set to open a new bar in Cardiff next month before launching its Leicester venue on Humberstone Gate.

It will occupy the former DW Sports outlet at Haymarket Towers, where work has begun to prepare the site for hospitality and leisure use.

Roxy is the brainchild of Yorkshire-born brothers Matt and Ben Jones. Ahead of the company’s Nottingham launch six years ago, the enterprising pair said the brand was founded “in a rebellious spirit, going against the norms of what was around us.”

They added that Roxy was “inspired by the games culture in London bars.”