A TOURIST attraction right on the beach that was forced to close last year has been bought by a trendy bar chain.
Brighton’s i360 first opened back in 2016, although ran into a number of financial problems along the way.
Brighton’s i360 has been bought by a former Dragon’s Den star[/caption]
Sarah Willingham is behind Nightcap, which owns more than 40 bars in the UK[/caption]
She is behind the bars such as Tonight Josephine[/caption]
It was forced to closed in November 2024, leaving a debt of £51million.
However, despite fears of the tower being torn down, it has since been bought out by Nightcap, which has more than 40 venues around the UK.
This includes trendy bars such as Tonight Josephine, Blame Gloria and The Cocktail Club.
Nightcap is owned by Former Dragon’s Den star Sarah Willingham who is a Brighton local.
She said in a social media post that they “couldn’t be happier” with plans to reopen it.
She added: “We look forward to working with them to make the West Pier part of Brighton a thriving hub for residents and visitors alike.
“We pass the i360 every day and were as disappointed as everyone else when it went into administration and no buyer was found.
“We hope we will get the support of our tight knit local community as we embark on this new chapter for the i360.”
While it hasn’t been confirmed what it will reopen as, many of the venues as part of Nightcap are some of the most unique in the UK.
For example, Tonight Josephine calls itself a “sassy cocktail bar” with neon lights and mirrors.
And Blame Gloria is said to be inspired by “an opulent nana with a groupie past”.
Even with the more standard bars of the group such as Piano Works, it is likely to mean that the tower will be turned into some form of entertainment venue.
It isn’t clear on when it will be able to reopen.
The tower, initially called the British Airways i360, cost £46million to build.
The 531ft observation tower – created by the team behind London Eye – became the Brighton i360 when the BA deal ended.
However, despite hopes for as many as 739,000 tourists a year, it failed to hit these numbers.
It could reopen as a cool bar[/caption]
Brighton and Hove City Council have since wrote off the huge £51million debt last month to allow sales to go forward.
The buyout has also been backed by local MPs, including Peter Kyle, MP for Hove and Portslade.
He said: “Looking to the future I now see a fantastic seafront in our city.
“It is book-ended by the amazing Sea Lanes in Kemptown and the new Hove Beach Park and now at its centre will be this.”
A small group of locals even created a petition to turn it into a Wetherspoons, although this only got around 650 signatures.
In the mean time, here is the nearby beach to Brighton that is set to double in size.
