First foray into the North as bar entrepreneurs move into Millennium Square
BE AT ONE is the new bar to hit Millennium Square as the entrepreneurs behind the bar group dip their toe in the water up North.
The group will be opening a bar in Leeds at the end of May at the Electric Press in Millennium Square in Leeds.
Be At One was founded in 1998 by three bartenders; Steve Locke, Rhys Oldfield and Leigh Miller.
They opened their first bar on Battersea Rise near the Northcote Road Junction in south west London.
In June 1999, after the initial success of Be At One Battersea, Be At One committed themselves to a second site in Wandsworth but after two years with limited success, the site was sold.
The team said: “During this period Be At One had the opportunity to learn a great deal more about its business, albeit the hard way – learning to fully understand the factors necessary to build a great bar, the importance of size, shape of building, location and socioeconomics. Until such time the company had been focused on generating sales, not managing costs.”
Be At One now has 18 bars in London, as well as bars in Reading, Brighton, Bristol, Milton Keynes, Bath and Oxford. In October 2011, Be At One sold a stake of the company to Piper Private Equity for eight million pounds, allowing the team to fund their ambitious growth plans over the next five years.
