The philosophy that drives Capital Bars, one of Ireland's three top superpub groups, is "A few beers and a chance of romance" - and judging by its commercial activity in the last few weeks, that recipe, along with innovative design, is a formula for success.
Planet Hollywood, formally taken over last week for key money of £1.3 million, is the latest addition to the group. Its new bar next door to the Bord Gais Eireann premises in D'Olier Street will open next week; nearby, a nightclub called Fireworks, in the old Tara Street fire station, around the corner from the new Trinity Capital Hotel on Pearse Street, opened last month. A new Japanese-style minimalist cafe bar is being developed on George's Street, just a few doors up from Capital's gay bar, The George. Cafe en Seine, one of the first cafe bars in Dublin, is also due for major refurbishment and expansion. The former Bad Bob's reopened recently after 20 months of refurbishment.
"The enduring boy meets girl theme is the focus of our bar entertainment business," says Liam O'Dwyer, chief executive of Capital Bars, the group formed in September 1999 when Break for the Border paid £14.6 million sterling for the O'Dwyer pub chain. This was followed by a reverse takeover and subsequent rebranding of the entire group.
Trading on the Irish and London Stock Exchange, Capital Bars has a market capitalisation of over €15 million. Although it recently sold its four British venues for a disappointing £4.7 million sterling, in total, the group operates a portfolio of 21 bars and hotels in Dublin's city centre and has introduced a new "publican developer" trend to the Dublin market.
The new generation of cafe bars/restaurants/nightclubs dominates the Dublin night scene. Capital Bars' outlets are design driven, and Liam O'Dwyer takes pride in the individuality of each venue.
"We are trying to create a lot of different types of interiors; we see ourselves as a major player in the late night entertainment market in the city, and in the design of these. Zanzibar is very different from the new Fireworks, and from The George. We target a different market in different venues - the cafe crowd, gay scene, the 20s and 30s age groups. Our competitors don't do that, they just go for the trendy crowd."
Mr O'Dwyer takes regular trips to the US and Britain to keep abreast of new developments in design in the bar/entertainment industry. Some of his "finds" are showcased in the lobby/bar area of the new Trinity Capital Hotel on Pearse Street, fitted out in a "classical meets contemporary" design. It has a glass facade, large open space, a floor which mixes white tiles with some from a 1950s American bar, large mirrors, Southern colonial-style light fixtures and a large old-world style reception desk.
"When it comes to our venues we prefer impact over square footage," says Liam O'Dwyer. When Zanzibar opened in early 1998, the design was considered revolutionary for Dublin - and had a major impact on the bar scene.
Capital Bars has its own in-house architect, Chris Jones, giving shape to O'Dwyer's concepts. Sosume, the new Japanese minimalist bar, will target the young trendy crowd and will be a venue of large clean spaces with lots of natural wood. Its gay bar, The George. is designed along the same lines as bars/nightclubs in Miami's South Beach area, the gay capital of the US. Cafe en Seine, Dublin's first cafe bar, bar is in the middle of major refurbishment which involves the redevelopment of adjoining premises at 39 Dawson Street. A new four-storey glass atrium, restaurant and extended bar are all part of the plans that will see the extension tripple the size of the venue. Seine will have a major impact on the Dublin market," says O'Dwyer.
Break for the Border in Dublin, the Mexican-themed super bar at Lower Stephen Street, is the highest trading bar in the group. Capital Bars rents most of its premises from the O'Dwyers and the group hopes to reach a position where the annual rent is less than 10 per cent of the net turnover.
It acquired its 22-year leasehold interest in Planet Hollywood after lengthy negotiations through the summer. The current rent is £351,000, with five-yearly reviews.
The new Trinity Capital Hotel on the site of the former Tara Street Fire Station is an 84-bedroom hotel. The 75-bedroom Grafton Capital Hotel and the 55-bedroom Rathmines Capital Hotel are the two other hotels in the group.
