Downey sells London Match Bar

Downey: further step away from the high-street bar sector

Jonathan Downey, the bar entrepreneur, has taken a further step away from the high-street bar sector with the sale of his remaining Match Bar site in London’s West End.

The site, which opened 12 years ago, has been acquired by an unnamed consortium that will continue operating under the Match Bar name and as a cocktail-bar concept.

The sale of the site leaves just the Match Bar in Melbourne, Australia, from what was once a five-strong estate, which included a further two sites in London.

Downey, who recently shut his Tiny Robot restaurant and bar in Farringdon, runs the Giant Robot bar/restaurant in Clerkenwell, Redhook restaurant in Farringdon, the Danger of Death bar on Brick Lane, and the shut East Room in Shoreditch.

It is thought Downey, who runs the Rushmore Group, aims to focus on the private members’ club side of his business in the future.