Australian-themed bar The Walkabout is to return to its old Brighton home five years after leaving.
The chain left its West Street premises, currently home to Bedrock, in 2010, because the rental price was too high to make it commercially viable
But it has now bought the site, and a one-month closure will see it undergo a £600k revamp in time for a summer reopening.
The makeover includes a “reef bar” with screens showing underwater and beach footage. Owner Intertain says it will also create 20 new permanent jobs for the area.
John Leslie, Intertain CEO, said: “We are very happy to be returning to Brighton and even more so to have been able to reclaim our original, fantastic location on West Street, just a stone’s throw from the sea front after an absence of over 5 years.
“We’ve always been famous in Brighton for legendary party nights, fun, live music, sport and great food, but now we’ll have a state of the art venue to make things even better.
“We’re looking forward to welcoming old and new friends alike.”
The Brighton opening comes despite the closure of four Walkabout venues in other parts of the country, which the company says were either loss-making or, as with its previous Brighton incarnation, had “unsustainable” levels of rent.
