A landmark Coventry building is being turned into a continental café bar in time for UK City of Culture after a deal was agreed with a local craft brewery.
Dhillons Brewery has taken a 20-year-lease on Christchurch Spire in Coventry city centre and will be serving its own beers on tap as well as offering hot drinks and food from 9am to create a family friendly venue.
Dhillons, which has been in business for six years, will keep its main base near the Ricoh Arena where it brews a range of beers and attracts customers from across the region.
It has agreed the deal on Christchurch Spire through commercial property agents Holt Commercial and it is part of the company’s plans to grow.
Dal Dhillon, who runs Dhillons Brewery, said: “It’s always been the ambition to open up in the city centre – but we wanted a building with character so we could create something special and unique.
“Christchurch Spire gives us exactly that opportunity and we can’t wait to open in the New Year.
“It was part of the plan to do this anyway but, of course, with City of Culture coming and so much investment in the city centre this is a great opportunity for us.
“The plan is to open all day and create a really continental café feel so that families can come in for a coffee and muffin if they been in the city centre during the day, and then it will have more of a feel of a bar later on in the evening.
“We’re in talks in creating a nice outdoor space that could be utilised all year round and are working with street-food providers to offer a food outlet for our customers.
“This has been a really difficult time for the hospitality sector but we see this as a really good investment and a chance to grow the Dhillons Brewery business.”
He added: “Holt Commercial were extremely professional in the way they dealt with the letting, providing all the information and answering any questions we had which made it a very smooth process.”
Chris Hobday, Associate at Holt Commercial, said: “It is great news to see another business investing in Coventry city centre. Despite the difficulties for retail and hospitality, we’ve attracted several new lettings over recent months even during lockdown.
“We wish Dhillons Brewery every success in this landmark building and it should be a great addition to the city centre’s leisure and hospitality offering.”
