Birmingham nightclub set to relocate to Broad Street
Snobs now at Smallbrook Queensway
One of Birmingham’s most famous nightclubs is moving to Broad Street, into the former premises of the Velvet Music Rooms.
Snobs, which was founded more than 50 years ago, is currently located at 51 Smallbrook Queensway, but that venue has been at risk since earlier this year as part of the city’s regeneration plans.
Its owner Wayne Tracey has now revealed that the club will move into Cumberland House at 200 Broad Street after purchasing the two-floor premises from Velvet’s former owners Dani Hadley and Eilis Collins.
TheBusinessDesk.com revealed Velvet was closing its doors at the end of October.
Tracey said: “I’m so pleased to have found such a great position of Broad Street where we can continue the great name, brand, reputation and nightlife that everyone in Birmingham knows as Snobs.
“As well as relocating the business and staff, we also hope to create a few more jobs because of potentially longer opening hours, due to more passing trade in the daytime.
“There’s still some way to go, as although we’ve signed the property deal, we now have to carefully plan and time our move from Smallbrook Queensway to Broad Street, and keep the business trading in between”.
Snobs was first opened in the basement of Beneficial House on Suffolk Street Queensway in the summer of 1972 by the Berrow brothers. They also owned the new romantic Rum Runner venue in the city and managed Duran Duran for a time.
The venue was later taken on by Gary Daniel, who transformed the city centre club into the indie venue it has been for the last three decades. Mr Daniel was still the owner when he died, aged just 40, in 2001.
Current owner Wayne Tracey bought it off his family in 2002 and in September 2014 moved the club’s premises to the corner of Hurst Street and Smallbrook Queensway.
Mike Olley, general manager of Westside BID, said: “Everyone knows Snobs – whether you’re in late-middle age like me and went there as a teenager in the 1970s, or whether you’re part of the younger generation who frequent the club now.
“We were sad to see Velvet close, but we are thrilled that their coveted location at the heart of Broad Street will now have a bright new future”.
