Slug and Lettuce and Be At One bars in Sussex could be at risk with up to 1,000 sites to be sold
The future of two Sussex bars is unclear after a major national chain announced plans to sell up to 1,000 sites.
Stonegate – the company behind Slug and Lettuce and Be At One – has a £2.6 billion debt pile, according to Bloomberg, and will sell 1,000 pubs for around £300 million.
At this stage, it is unclear which branches will close but the news throws the future of two bars in Sussex into doubt – Slug and Lettuce in Chapel Road, Worthing and Be At One in Castle Square, Brighton.
Slug and Lettuce restaurants in Chichester and Hove have closed in recent years.
Stonegate’s chairman Ian Payne has been widely quoted in the national media as saying: “The biggest concern is energy. We know what we’re going to pay in February and March. But we still don’t know what we’re going to pay beyond that.”
On its website, Slug and Lettuce said its bars are ‘all about getting together over heavenly cocktail trees, bottomless brunches and afternoon teas with friends’.
Be At One, meanwhile, said its cocktail bars offer tunes and vibes to get guests in a party mood.
Just before the pandemic, Stonegate became Britain’s biggest pub group after spending nearly £1.3 billion buying rival Ei Group, formerly known as Enterprise Inns plc, which was the largest pub company in the UK and had around 5,000 properties.
However, thousands of jobs will now be at risk across the country. Click here to read more.