Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
A successful revolution.. Cuban-themed bar bringing in £80,000 a week
ABAR based on a socialist culture has proved a capitalist success story. Revolucion de Cuba on Arthur Street in Belfast city centre has produced sales of £80,000 a week in the first nine full weeks of trading.
The bar, based in premises formerly occupied by Cafe Vaudeville, has put in the sterling performance for Revolution Bars Group, a stock market-listed company based outside Manchester which runs 69 pubs in total.
The company spent £1.5million refurbishing the interior of the bar which opened in the third week of July, it said in a release to the London Stock Exchange.
The first nine weeks of trading produced “the highest sales levels of all venues opened in the last two years,” according to the group.
Revolution Bars Group made its name with vodka and cocktail bars in Great Britain but has expanded its Revolucion de Cuba brand over the last two years substantially. The success of the Belfast bar means it plans to open even more in the future including in Solihull, Inverness and Putney in South London.
Chair Keith Edelman said: “Two years ago, Revolucion de Cuba traded from only five venues but, the brand now trades from 14 venues and has the potential for further significant growth in the number of trading units.” The Belfast venue has three bars, a mezzanine area and an atrium roof “all decorated in an authentically Cuban, Art Nouveau style,” according its website.
It added: “Revolucion de Cuba brings the spirit of Havana to the heart of Belfast.”
It stretches to 20,000 square feet and was a former bank building, as well as being the headquarters of the Dunville whiskey company and most recently Cafe Vaudeville.
Revolution Bars Group bought the building in March and it has “plans to further expand the estate in Northern Ireland over the next couple of years”.
At the time, Mark Mcquarter, head of Revolution Bars, said the region provided a rich seam of opportunity to the group.
He added: “Belfast represents an exciting location for us in a site with real heritage.”