On the right tracks

Ewan Turney finds out how a £147,000 investment transformed the Brighton Belle Inn, Winsford, Cheshire, from a dark and tired boozer to a stylish,...

Ewan Turney finds out how a £147,000 investment transformed the Brighton Belle Inn, Winsford, Cheshire, from a dark and tired boozer to a stylish, cosmopolitan venue

Background

Brighton Belle Inn: The pub originally took its name from one of the first electric trains - the Brighton Belle - which was decommissioned on 30 April 1972. One of the carriages used to be attached to the pub, forming a quirky dining area. The pub had been trading as a destination local with a limited food offering. Trade peaked at about £3,000 a week before Terry Parkhurst and partners Christian Peppers, and Terry and Graeme Tickle approached Marston's about taking a lease at the pub.

Terry Parkhurst: The only one of the team with a background in pubs, Terry has experience from as far afield as the United States. "I was looking for a fresh challenge - and this venue seemed like the ideal opportunity to stamp our mark on going out in Cheshire," he says.

Christian Pepper: The former local business manager has brought his strong passion for music and modern bars to the Brighton Belle. "While I have been able to bring guidance on budgets and business strategy to the table, I have also been able to assist with developing this venue as a premium night-spot."

Terry and Graeme Tickle: Brothers Terry and Graeme both have valuable experience in construction, and were able to source several bespoke fixtures and fittings through their contacts. "We wanted this venue to be known for its commitment to offering a premium service - and that starts with ensuring the exterior and interior are finished to the highest specification," says Graeme Tickle.

Refurbishment

Design: The team had a clear idea of what type of establishment they wanted to develop. "Currently there are set ideas about the type of venues you will find in cities and those you will find in smaller towns," says Pepper. "We wanted to challenge that tradition by bringing modern bar-culture into a more rural setting."

Time: The refurbishment took just four weeks to complete and the venue reopened on 3 May. Dark and cluttered rooms have become stylish, contemporary areas for drinking, dining and partying. The four partners ploughed over £100,000 into the refurb, and no rent was paid during the closed period. "The place was like Beirut - the only things we kept were the fixed seating and fireplaces," says Graeme Tickle.

Marston's Pub Company: The Wolverhampton-based operator invested more than £40,000 to help strip out all the original fixtures and fittings, pulling the structure back to a bare canvas. The carefully-planned layout, décor and fittings are all designed to create a versatile establishment that will maximise sales throughout the day and night.

Building works: £19,000

Plumbing: £1,800

Electrics: £7,000

Music

The pub offers customers something completely different in the evening - a premium bar experience that's a real alternative to travelling to Chester or Liverpool. The team invested in a top-class sound-system and a dance-floor and has a resident DJ on Friday and Saturday evenings.

"Music is a real passion of ours and we wanted to create a safe environment where customers can enjoy the type of music you normally only get by travelling to a major city," says Pepper.

Graeme Tickle adds: "We are hosting a 12-week DJ competition - a bit like The X-Factor - where DJs score points for their choice of songs, mixing and tricks. We want to offer a quality night out for our customers."

Entertainment equipment: £40,000

DÉcor

In the bar area deep burgundy tones have been offset against neutral cream shades and complemented by exposed woodwork, heavy set tables and a mixture of deep-red and granite-blue seating. The dining room is equally distinctive, with Chesterfield-style booths at either end and a selection of dark wood and cream leather seating highlighted by cool-ice LED lighting, which not only creates a stylish and intimate feel, but also significantly reduces energy bills.

"It is a bold colour scheme, but it works really well and helps to separate different areas of the venue," says Tickle.

Décor: £14,000

Smoking solution

Rather than taking the easy option and simply investing in standard wooden seating as an outside smoking area, the partners have designed a bespoke VIP-style smoking booth with a difference.

The unique cream leather sofas have been positioned on the large decked area in the beer garden to create a stylish extension to the bar's interior. The building was completed with an awning, heating and lighting to ensure it can be used in all weather conditions.

Parkhurst says: "It is important to us to ensure that all our smoking customers don't feel alienated. We want our smoking customers to know they are still valued - and that meant creating somewhere outside the premises that was as appealing to them as the interior of the pub."

The outside area has changed radically. "There was a playground and park, but it was in a total state, and we condemned it immediately," says Graeme Tickle.

Smoking area: £3,000

Landscaping: £6,000

Outdoor area: £30,000

Bar

Parkhurst recognised that the pub could do a roaring lunchtime trade from the nearby Winsford Road One industrial estate.

"Thousands of potential customers are sitting on our doorstep," he says. "We have looked at ways to make the Brighton Belle more appealing for business lunches and meetings and are working hard to tempt people away from their desks."

Wi-Fi is available throughout and a Lavazza Coffee machine has been installed to help create a café-style atmosphere and encourage customers to sit back and relax over lunch, or work in a more informal environment.

Furniture: £30,000

Results

Trade has more than doubled since the refurbishment and now stands at £8,000 a week - with more expected. The Brighton Belle team is looking at ways to attract the family market at weekends and during the school holidays. The over-21 policy at weekends has lead to a decrease in trouble at a pub that used to be a favourite with the travelling community.

"We went to see them and explained that the venue was changing," says Graeme Tickle. "We took out the pool table and they soon realised it wasn't for them."

The Brighton Belle has just taken out a subscription to Sky and hopes to cash in further on the live football. Other business-boosting ideas in the pipeline include a beach party and promoting the use of the pub's function room.

The team is trying to cash in on as many different markets as possible, to ensure trade throughout the day, night and weekdays and weekends. "We are filling all the gaps in the market, from the food offer to the evening entertainment," says Tickle.

Restaurant

The 60-cover restaurant and 40-cover bar is serving up "good English food" from locally sourced fresh produce.

"We are in the heart of the Cheshire countryside and have a wealth of premium-farming establishments all around us, so I can't imagine why we would source our ingredients from anywhere else," says Parkhurst.

"Aside from the benefits of the quality produce that is so readily available to us, it is also great to set up partnerships with other local businesses here.

"This not only adds value to the area, but opens up a whole new market of potential customers."

Lunchtime snacks include take-away carvery sandwiches and low-fat and low- carbohydrate dishes, ideal for customers in a hurry.

A carvery is also available on Sundays.

Balance sheet

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Marston's

building works ?19,000

decoration?14,000

plumbing £?1,800

electricals£?7,000

Sub-Total ?41,800

tenant