A well-known North East leisure group is to open its first venue in Sunderland.
Vaulkhard Group, which runs a number of bars, restaurants and cafes in Newcastle and Northumberland, will open a venue beneath the new Holiday Inn being built in Sunderland’s Keel Square. National chain The Botanist has also announced plans to open a venue in the building.
The new venue - Vaulhard’s 19th in the North East - will serve food and drinks during the day and into the evening. The group operates brands including Bar Luga, Red House and Blakes, and said it would releasing more details on the Sunderland venue in the coming months.
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Founder Ollie Vaulkhard said: “We have only looked to Newcastle and further north for new venues in the past, but there really is a sense that Sunderland is transforming, and we want to be part of that.
“This really is urban regeneration on scale that is going on at Riverside Sunderland, and we see the opportunity that presents for us as a group. There’s such positive energy about the place, and the right people are around the table driving the regeneration of Sunderland. People who believe in the city, have a vision for its transformation and also have the skills and connections to deliver it. It’s a really exciting time to be coming to the city.”
The new venue will create around 30 new jobs, with hopes that it could open next Spring.
Sunderland City Council leader Graeme Miller said: “We are thrilled to welcome Vaulkhard Group to the city – a brilliant new addition to Sunderland and testament to the transformative effect of the work we’re doing at Riverside Sunderland.
“We want Sunderland to be a spectacular place to live, work and play, so attracting operators of this calibre to add to the city centre offer we already have is brilliant.”
The £18m 120-bed Holiday Inn Hotel is one of a number of developments that aim to bring 10,000 new workers and 1,000 properties to Sunderland city centre. The hotel development is being led by North East-based Cairn Group and will create 130 new jobs when it opens.
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