Arc Inspirations, the fast-growing bar operator of leading brands including Manahatta, Banyan Bar & Kitchen and The Box, has reported a record festive trading period.
The company, which currently operates 18 bars across the north of England, enjoyed 6.5% like-for-like sales growth over the festive season (1 December to 1 January). In the final two weeks of the period, like-for-like sales were up 14.9%.
In addition, the company’s three new bars in Manchester and Leeds are also trading strongly since opening in the autumn of last year; The Box, Leeds; Manahatta, Deansgate; and Banyan Bar & Kitchen, Spinningfields.
Highlights include:
- Arc Inspirations’ new Manahatta bar in Deansgate was the stand-out performer, achieving average sales of £110,00 net per week over the period
- Pre-booked sales hit 30% across the company’s main brands, a healthy increase on the previous year
- The best-selling cocktail across all the bars over the period was the Pornstar Martini, followed by Aperol Spritz
Commenting on the performance, Arc Inspirations CEO Martin Wolstencroft, said: “December has been a very strong trading period for Arc Inspirations as guests seek out a differentiated and memorable experience to celebrate the festive season.
“The business experienced great trading across all sites, which is testament to our fantastic, committed, hard-working teams, and clearly demonstrates that the proposition of our core brands is attractive to customers. It also illustrates that the time spent honing our strategy of operating sites in clusters, with several venues located in close proximity and complementary to each other, is paying dividends.
“We’re excited for the year ahead and the prospect of bringing our brands to new locations and customers and expect 2019 to be another strong year for Arc Inspirations.”
The business has a strong pipeline of new sites as it looks to build on the momentum from the successful opening of three new bars across Manchester and Leeds in recent months. This spring, the company is investing £1.5 million to open Banyan Bar & Kitchen in Newcastle, its first site in the North East. The site will take the group’s thriving portfolio of bars to 19, when it opens in a prime city centre location on Blackett Street, near Eldon Square shopping centre.