City bar Bub’s to close as lease ends
AN INDEPENDENT Cardiff bar has become the latest city centre trader to announce its closure.
Bub’s Bar and Kitchen on Church Street said it will close for good at the end of January after its lease came to an end.
The pub, which offers a range of beers and craft ales, first opened back in June 2018 and has become part of the rejuvenation of Church Street, alongside the likes of the Head of Steam, Honest Burgers, Pho and The Botanist.
Chris Rowlands, who runs Bub’s, said the pub’s lease had been ended after the building’s owner had activated a break clause, which allows either the landlord or the tenant to terminate a lease at any time during the contract term.
He said they had been given until the end of January to vacate the building.
“It’s quite frustrating for a business to have to close due to factors outside of our control,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we had been trading very well despite everything that has happened in the past two years.
“We’re not closing because the business is failing, as we’ve actually been doing really well. I think that’s why it feels more raw.”
Chris said the current situation meant it was likely to be the end of the business.
“We had to take out a bounce-back loan from the government because of Covid,” he explained.
“Now, in order to move we have to pay a lot of money to clear out Bub’s and find a new place. For that we are talking five figures.
“Unless there is a ‘Hail Mary’ and we can find the funding to do that, I can’t see how Bub’s can carry on,” he said, adding that his main priority was to help secure new jobs for existing staff.