JOBS BOOST FOR CARDIFF
70 ROLES FOR CITY CENTRE PUB, AS SUPERMARKET WAREHOUSE FOR 422 WORKERS OPENS WITH PROMISE OF 400 NEW ALDI JOBS TO COME
ONE of Cardiff’s best known nightspots will reopen next month – bringing 70 new jobs to the city.
The Philharmonic, on St Mary Street, has undergone a £750,000 transformation to create a new city centre bar and restaurant.
The venue, which was popular with generations of pub-goers and clubbers, has been empty for five years.
Its important past was highlighted during the renovation works when a number of historical features were found, including a hidden lane which used to run between the former Philharmonic Hotel and the Philharmonic Hall.
The heritage of the venue – popularly known as “The Philly” – will be celebrated with the use of Victorian fixtures and fittings at Grade II-listed building, after the lease was bought by Croeso Pubs Ltd.
And now Simon Little, the firm’s director, has confirmed plans to recruit 70 staff – from bar to management roles.
He said: “We are really proud of what we have achieved in terms of the building design so far, and thoroughly delighted this work can now finally begin to have real impact on the city centre economically, as well as physically.
“We are so looking forward to breathing new life into The Philly through the acquisition of a carefully chosen team, hired to make our customer-focused design plans a reality, and give visitors old and new a warm welcome in the process.”
Croeso Pub already runs two successful city centre venues, employing more than 70 people at live music spot Brewhouse and Retro.
The new Philharmonic will be managed by Nick Newman.
Mr Newman, who is also the chairman of Cardiff Licensees’ Forum, said: “It’s been a long and at times arduous process to restore this magnificent building to a state which we all feel befits its standing as a much-loved and historically significant city landmark.
“Now we are in the process of recruiting a team which can help make the next stage of the Philharmonic’s revival a reality, and really bring what is now a stunning building both internally and externally back to its former glory.”
Planners last month gave permission for the creation of a roof-top smoking terrace, which would not be visible from the street.
And changes at the back of site, onto Great Western Lane, will see a new aluminium shopfront put in place and a covered dining terrace built.
The building’s historic front will be unchanged.
The re-opening of the nightspot bucks the trend of a series of pub closures around the city in recent years.
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