A city centre bar that closed out of the blue last Tuesday could reopen as early as this weekend after a new tenant stepped in.
The Exchange, in Rutland Street, Leicester, closed last week following a dispute between the landlord and previous management.
Queen Victoria Arts Club across the road 鈥 which was run by the same team and with the same landlord 鈥 closed at the same time.
Now bar manager Marc Van Rooyen has agreed to take on the lease of The Exchange.
He hopes to have it open again by the weekend and has spoken to a number of ex-staff about coming back to work there.
He also wants to honour party bookings in the run-up to Christmas from people who had paid deposits to the previous management team.
Meanwhile agents for the landlord are still looking for a potential tenant for the Queen Victoria bar and restaurant.
Mr Van Rooyen, who runs the Manhattan 34 bar in the same city block as The Exchange, said he intended to keep the two bars distinct from one another 鈥 with his existing bar maintaining its reputation for cocktails and his new bar continuing as a popular meeting place during the day and at night.
He said: 鈥淭he reopening date is subject to quite a few bits and bobs.
鈥淏ut things are moving quite quickly despite the red tape and we are talking to people like the council and police [about licensing] and the liquidators.
鈥淚 want to be open this weekend, which would be ideal, but don鈥檛 want to open until everything is ready.
鈥淚鈥檝e spoken to some former staff members of The Exchange and want to employ as many as I can and then it鈥檚 just a case of logistics 鈥 getting the wi-fi and phone up and running and sorting out the water and electricity.
鈥淎t the moment I鈥檝e got The Exchange鈥檚 main supervisor coming back on board and two other employees and am hoping for four ex-members of staff with some from Manhattan 34 helping out.
鈥淚n terms of how it鈥檚 going to look and feel, because it鈥檚 so close to Christmas I don鈥檛 want to tinker with it too much.
鈥淭he Exchange was well established and well liked, so I don鈥檛 want to make it completely different because we want it to stay as a key meeting place for people in the Cultural Quarter.
鈥淚鈥檝e got hold of quite a few people who used to have regular events there and told them we would still like to accommodate them.鈥
Mr Van Rooyen has had the lease to Manhattan 34, in Leicester鈥檚 Cultural Quarter, for three-and-a-half-years and said the bar had already agreed to take on some of the bookings that had been made with The Exchange.
He has invited anyone else affected to get in touch, and while not being able to repay deposits he hoped to be able to honour their bookings.
He said: 鈥淎s far as my perception is concerned, the Queen Victoria didn鈥檛 appear to be doing so well, but with The Exchange we were always a little envious about their location at the end of the building opposite the Curve.
鈥淎s far as I am aware they were always busy.鈥
Property Specialists Intali were appointed to secure new tenants for both properties for landlord East Bridgeford Investments.
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Intali director Adam Burdett said: 鈥淲e have had an enormous amount of interest in both properties and have conducted many viewings over the past two days.
鈥淭he news published in the Leicester Mercury has been instrumental in generating this interest as we have not had enough time to prepare a formal marketing campaign. It now looks as if we will not need one.
鈥淲e have taken over 30 calls from interested parties since last Tuesday and I am delighted to say we have agreed terms for the letting of Exchange Bar.
鈥淲e expect the bar to re-open later this week and understand the new operator will be offering jobs to a number of employees of the previous company.
鈥淲e continue to work hard agreeing terms for a new letting of Queen Victoria Arts Club and hope to make a further announcement on that shortly.鈥
A brochure calling the Queen Victoria 鈥減robably the best bar/restaurant space in Leicester鈥 is offering the property for an annual rent of 拢60,000.
