Nightcap runs 27 sites across its London Cocktail Club, Barrio Bars and Adventure Bar Group businesses and has plans to add a further 26.
In December 2020, when London was facing tier 3 coronavirus restrictions and industry bosses were warning of a £2.7bn hit to the economy, one hospitality entrepreneur saw an opportunity too good to pass up. Sensing the appetite for experience-led, quality nights out in unique, local style venues, former Dragon’s Den investor Sarah Willingham’s Nightcap first bought London Cocktail Club and then Barrio Bars and the Adventure Bar Group.
The inspiration behind the move? Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s infamous Eat Out to Help Out scheme in the summer of 2020. According to Willingham: ‘Everybody thought I was completely bonkers doing it in an industry that was so hard hit. But what we saw in the summer of 2020 – when I came up with the idea – was that when we were allowed to go out, people wanted to go out.
‘I think the impact on people’s mental health will be one of the main stories of the pandemic. One of the things that is so great about the hospitality industry – and something I’m so proud to be a part of – is the part the industry has played in creating safe environments where people are allowed to feel normal.
‘We’re pack animals, we want to socialise, we want to go out and that demand has been there whenever we’ve been allowed to open our doors.’
And she was right, with Nightcap hitting £15.5m in net sales in its first year of trading. Further expansion is on the cards in 2022, with 26 new sites in the pipeline, taking Nightcap closer to its goal of becoming the UK’s leading bar operating group. The group is focused on easy to replicate scalable business models with nationwide rollout potential.
It comes as no surprise that Willingham is succeeding despite a tough climate for hospitality – she co-founded London Cocktail Club and her experience includes time at PizzaExpress, The Bombay Bicycle Club and Clapham House Group.
Nightcap’s growth plans see it taking advantage of the current state of the property market to expand across major cities in the UK. The next sites scheduled to open are: The Cocktail Club in Exeter and Tonight Josephine in Cardiff, with a further 24 on the cards.
To find out more visit https://nightcapplc.com/
