Revolution Bars Group makes shock announcement that Southampton's Revolucion de Cuba will close
A popular bar in Hampshire has decided to close its doors with management saying that younger customers are continuing to feel the pinch.
Revolution Bars Group has decided to close eight sites across England as it warned that its younger customers are still feeling a “disproportionate” strain from rapid increases in the cost of living. The company will close sites in Beaconsfield, Derby, Reading, St Peters Liverpool and Wilmslow as well as two Revolucion de Cuba sites in Sheffield and Southampton and the Playhouse in Newcastle-Under-Lyme.
The company has said that it is working to try to redeploy staff from the sites that are closing and once these sites have shut down, Revolution will operate 22 pubs and 58 bars in total. Despite the business reporting that 2023 was the best Christmas trading period since 2019, it has continued to make the decision to close due to the cost of living crisis.
Rob Pitcher, chief executive at Revolution Bars Group, said: “We have had the best festive trading period for four years with all of our brands recording positive like-for-like sales and Revolucion de Cuba being the standout performer.
"However, our younger customers are still feeling the disproportionate effect of the cost-of-living crisis and the national living wage will increase materially in April 2024.
“Therefore, we have taken the difficult yet ultimately beneficial step for the group to close several bars which are unprofitable.”