UCL FOUNDER SANDERS LAUNCHES £2 M NIGHTCLUB

UCL FOUNDER SANDERS LAUNCHES £2M “DIU” BOUTIQUE NIGHTCLUB IN LONDON ROSS SANDERS the founder of Urban & Country Leisure Ltd the innovative pub management operator, is to make his first foray into the capital with a new London boutique nightclub called “DIU”. SANDERS has raised £2m in funding for the new venture, which will be run as a private entity to the UCL estate which he founded twelve months ago and which is backed by a number of private investors including Bridgehouse Capital. SANDERS also has plans to open a “DIU” in New York and is currently looking at various sites in the big apple. “DIU” which will be located in London’s infamous Greek Street in Soho, is already being tipped as the next big celebrity hangout with the London fashionable and social glitterati which is currently occupied by the likes of Movida, Mahiki and Boujis all of which are popular haunts with celebrities including Prince’s William & Harry, Hugh Grant, Robbie Williams and Cheryl Cole. With a much-anticipated launch in March, it has already confirmed several high profile celebrity events including a party for music TV channel MTV and three “A” list birthday parties in its opening month. SANDERS has assembled a strong management team for the club, who have worked for some of London’s most popular, high profile clubs and bars. SANDERS has also formed a number of strong partnerships and relationships with high profile promoters in New York who work with 1 OAK, Pink Elephant and The Hudson and will be working closely with them on offering exclusive deals for DIU’s international client base. The interior theme for “DIU” has been conceptualised between SANDERS and leading interior designers Tibbatts Kirk Abel who designed Movida, One Below and Chinawhite. Combining a sought after location, cutting edge cosmopolitan design, intelligent lighting, along with exacting levels of service and attention to detail, “DIU” aims to pitch itself between London’s SKETCH, Cuckoo and Kingly clubs, as a new breed of Soho boutique club. SANDERS said; “DIU will be a very different kind of London nightclub experience. The emphasis will be very much based on an intimate, yet unforgettable club experience. Whilst Soho has been much maligned over the years, it very much represents the rich tapestry of London society where bohemia meets modernism, where fashion, music, TV, film, publishing and media all converge. “DIU” will become a canvas, a backdrop if you like where those people and characters diverge and become the essential ingredient to its success and longevity. “DIU” is a playground in which to express themselves and have fun.” He added: “DIU won't be a private members club or elitist in its approach with committees approving memberships. Entry to the club will be by pre arranged guest list as per the London standard. There will be a membership scheme that we will be launching called “Friend Of DIU” this scheme will be for those who want additional benefits and privileges including such things as a planned concierge service.” Whilst there has been talk of a crisis in London club land due to the current economic climate SANDERS remains bullish; “Like any business in the hospitality sector, its all about the offering, what you give to your customer, by way of product, its design, aesthetics, ambience and atmosphere. But most of all its your personal approach, the attention to detail, selecting the right location. Boutique clubs are very much back in vogue.” Meanwhile UCL announced last week that it was on track with its £10 million pound investment program announcing its most recent pub acquisition, the MOTHER HUFF CAP INN at Alcester Warwickshire with an £850,000 investment and refurbishment plan. The Warwickshire site, which will be renamed The Greedy Pig is part of a further fifteen new openings planned over the next two years and takes the UCL portfolio currently to fourteen pub restaurants. The Greedy Pig follows the successful opening of three new sites, the Greedy Goose in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, the Coach & Horses in Beedon near Newbury, Berkshire and the Old Volunteer at Caythorpe, near Nottingham. UCL’s rapid and phenomenal success in just less than twelve months bucks the current economic trend and downturn in the pub and hospitality sector. ENDS For further information on Urban & Country Leisure Gerard Franklin or Margaret Murray @ FREQUENCY MEDIA T: 0121 224 7452 - gerard@fmguk.com T: 0121 224 7453 - margaret@fmguk.com