One Snowhill bar announces closure

A bar at Birmingham’s One Snow Hill has announced it will not re-open after closing its doors in March due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bar Opus, located on the piazza of the landmark city office building, said it had been “unable to secure landlord support to enable it to trade through the difficult times ahead”.

Director Ann Tonks said: “The very slow and phased return of business customers to the city centre is a huge challenge. This lack of business customers, on which the bar relies, is a considerable blow while being faced with continued high rent and service charge demands.

“We recognise the significant support we received from the government through the rates holiday and furlough scheme In all good conscience we cannot continue to draw on the government’s CRJS when we know that closure is inevitable.

“We thank all who made the bar a social, lively hub: our customers, our family of suppliers (whom we have paid in full), the One Snowhill team and our fabulous staff whose hard work, humour and enthusiasm sustained us over our six years. Our bar staff Josipa, Daniel, Allison and Domagoji have been exceptionally gracious through the bad news of the closure.”