Glamorous cocktail bar comes to Burlington Arcade

Hortons’ Estate Ltd has agreed to let a retail and leisure unit in Birmingham city centre to a glamorous cocktail chain.

Adventure Bar has signed a 20-year lease on unit 12 at the Burlington Arcade, which will be home to cocktail and wine bar, Tonight Josephine.

The privately-owned bar company has taken 5,171 sq ft of space on the ground floor and basement of the property on Stephenson Street.

Adventure Bar has already completed a fit out of the unit and is set to open the new facility to the public later this year.

Tonight Josephine, which has two sites in London, is named after Josephine de Beauharnais, first wife of Napoleon Bonaparte and is famous for its fuchsia pink interior and sassy neon wall slogans.

The cocktail and wine bar will stage a range of events including Full House Bingo hosted by drag queens, a Bottomless Porn Star Martini Afternoon Tea and Josephine’s Showgirl Brunch.

The letting was made possible after Hortons’ agreed to surrender the lease of former occupier, Ladbrokes Coral, who have been granted a new lease on a smaller space on the ground floor of units 9-11.

Further space was made available in the basement of the property, which had previously been used by Hortons’ for archive storage.

Steve Tommy, head of asset management, Hortons’, said: “The Adventure Bar is a hugely successful chain that has built a reputation in London for its friendly staff and a range of fun and interactive events. Hortons’ has worked closely with the Adventure Bar to open its first venue in Birmingham and we are very pleased that the group has chosen the historic Burlington as the location for Tonight Josephine. The venue will be a terrific addition to Birmingham’s leisure scene.”

Burlington Arcade comprises a mixed use period building over seven floors with retail accommodation to the ground, first and basement levels, hotel accommodation to the ground and upper floors and office accommodation also to the upper floors.

The property is located on the pedestrianised New Street at the junctions with Stephenson Place and Lower Temple Street within Birmingham City Centre, in close proximity to Birmingham New Street Train Station.

Hortons’ was assisted by Simon Smith of retail consultancy, Wright Silverwood.