The Loft in Clapham in south London – a former winner of Time Out London’s Best Bar – has been sold to CG Restaurants & Bars which is to relaunch it as its sixth Dirty Martini.
The new-look venue in Clapham High Street will open in April and follows the company’s opening of Dirty Martini bars near St Paul’s and Monument in the City of London in October and November.
The Loft (pictured) was opened in 2007 by leading bartender Andy Campana and his brother James, who also operate DJ bar Plan B in nearby Brixton. The Loft went on to be named Best Bar in the Time Out Food & Drink Awards in 2008 and has continued to be well-known for its cocktails. Its last day of trading will be Saturday February 14.
Clapham also marks Dirty Martini’s first venture outside of the London Underground’s Zone 1, responding to feedback from its customers in the West End and the City.
Chief executive Scott Matthews said: “We are extremely excited to be taking Dirty Martini south of the river to Clapham, where consumers have a huge appetite for our unique offer of high-quality cocktails, glamorous interiors and famous happy hours.”
After a very strong Christmas trading period, Dirty Martini is on course to deliver £11.6million in sales in 2015. Scott added that CG is well on track for its target of having 15 Dirty Martini bars by the fourth quarter of 2016.
“Our acquisitions specialists are highly knowledgeable about the markets that fit Dirty Martini and locations such as Clapham are the natural progression. We are hotly pursuing more opportunities both in central London and surrounding major leisure locations.”
