The Deltic Group has opened its third Bar&Beyond in Sheffield. Mark Ludmon reports
Established as a leader in the clubbing sector, The Deltic Group is making in-roads into late-night bars. It has been busy rolling out two bar concepts this year, Steinbeck & Shaw and Bar&Beyond, which bring a stripped-back edgy feel alongside classic party cocktails. After the success of the first Bar&Beyond that opened in Chelmsford in Essex a year ago, it was quickly followed by another in Stevenage in Hertfordshire and then a third in Sheffield in September.
Bar&Beyond offers two distinctive experiences: a bar, with food from 5pm and a selection of craft beers and cocktails, and “beyond”, a dedicated area where, later in the evening, clubbers can enjoy a state-of-the-art sound system with DJs and live acts. “It gives customers a choice, offering a fun evening with food and drinks, and, for those that aren’t ready to go home, the opportunity to stay out and party the night away,” explains Deltic’s operations director, Jason Thorndycraft. “Bar&Beyond was designed to connect the late-night bar market with a high-quality club experience, enabling us to further diversify into the evening market.”
Alongside champagne, prosecco, wines, beer and cider, the bars specialise in “old school” classic cocktails from a Mojito and Whiskey Sour to a Pina Colada and a June Bug. Many have a modern twist such as the Strawberry Mojito and the Midori Sour. Food is led by gourmet hot dogs and burgers along with sharing platters, nachos and chicken wings.
The stripped-back, urban interiors feature walls of graffiti art, skull imagery, distinctive lighting and signage, and modern sculptures. It is enhanced by “up-cycled” elements such as old plaster boards and cable reels alongside raw mild steel, rusted panels, brickwork, concrete and unfinished timbers with paint dripping down the walls. “We wanted to create something that draws the eye and offers a great backdrop for photos for social media enthusiasts,” Jason adds. “As we continue our multimillion-pound investment programme, we will evaluate current properties and new venues that may be a fit for this early-evening offer.”
Hospitality design specialist Keane Brands was brought in to create the striking interiors after working on other Deltic projects. Aidan Keane, owner of Keane Brands, describes the overall look as “an anarchic house party, part garage, part gallery space”. Their brief was to reinvent “out-of-date, miserable, uninvested and rancid” parts of the group’s estate – Sheffield was an £850,000 revamp of a former Varsity bar. “Bar&Beyond is purposely designed to give a mainstream customer some edge and cool – enough quirks and humour to relax everyone and enough designer features to flood the social networks with images,” Aidan adds. “Bar&Beyond has attitude and a swagger. It’s not tied down by corporate knobs and genuinely feels more independent every time one opens.”
173-179 West Street, Sheffield S1 4EW
Tel: 01142 997726
www.barandbeyond.co.uk
Behind the scenes
Design: Keane Brands
Main contractor: Stenball Construction
Effects lighting: Technical Arts
Decorative lighting: Chantelle Lighting
Furniture: Plant Republic
Signage: Jasmin Design
Flooring: Omni Flooring
Artwork, graffiti: RMB Projects
Sound: CVA Sound
Lighting: Haddow Electrical
Originally published in the December 2016 print edition of Bar magazine.
