All Bar One takes off at Birmingham Airport

BIRMINGHAM pubco Mitchells & Butlers is expanding its All Bar One estate with the opening of two new bars in Birmingham Airport.  

One will be located in the South departure lounge, opening in April, and an additional unit will open in the North landside area in June.

The two locations have been chosen so that both passengers and visitors to the airport can use the facilities.

The All Bar One estate comprises around 50 pubs nationally but the new outlets will be the first to open at a UK airport.

Gary John, property director, Mitchells & Butlers said: “We are delighted to have successfully acquired these new locations and showcase All Bar One within one of the country’s most vibrant and expanding airports. We continue to seek to expand our brands which serve attractive market segments and which can offer us good returns.”

Richard Gill, Birmingham Airport’s head of commercial, added: “We’re committed to providing our passengers with a world class experience and over the last few years we’ve improved our food and beverage offer throughout the airport to offer choice for all our passengers.

Bar Sport on track for further expansion

A STAFFORDSHIRE sports bar entrepreneur is to further expand his empire with the opening of a new outlet in Newbury.

The American-style Bar Sport chain was established in Cannock by former amateur boxing champion Scott Murray.

The new outlet, set up with an investment of £500,000, has helped create 30 new jobs. The opening of the venue was performed by former Southampton and England footballer, Matt Le Tissier, now a TV pundit on Sky Sports.

The Newbury franchise is being run by businessman Claudio Altini.

He said: “I am a huge sports fan and when this opportunity arose to run a Bar Sport franchise I knew I had to take it. The support I have received to set up this venture from the Bar Sport team has been fantastic.”

The new bar joins others in Maidenhead, Bromley and Wilmslow with venues at Watford and Livingston in Scotland in the pipeline. 

2,000 register for Asian Bridal Fair at ICC

THE International Convention Centre (ICC) in Birmingham will host one of the biggest Asian wedding fairs in the UK on Sunday March 9.

After seeing the success of the event in London, Monsoon Venue Group (MVG), a venue and event management company specialising in Asian events and Asian events partner to the ICC, has brought the show to the second city.

An online registration has seen more than 2,000 people register for the event already, and organiser expect that number to rise to 5,000.

The show will bring together more than 120 Asian bridal suppliers with brides and grooms-to-be. 

Asian weddings are big business in the UK with the cost of an Asian wedding doubling the amount of a typical British wedding. Latest figures show the UK Asian wedding market is worth £300m, and rising.

Pav Shergill, director of MVG, said: “Following the launch of my business I wanted to showcase the ICC as a potential venue for Asian weddings, as it’s not a venue people would traditionally associate with Asian events.”