A bar in Walton-le-Dale is set to close its doors citing difficult trading conditions since opening six years ago.
Taps & Wine Bar, on Chorley Road at the junction with Higher Walton Road and Victoria Road, has been open since November 2019 after the former Conservative Club was purchased at auction by Sean and Debbie O’Hagan.
But after six years running the venue, and attempts to sell the bar over the last year, the owners have confirmed the business will close on Saturday, 11 October.
Read more: Much-loved Brew + Bake café and brunch spot announces closure
Efforts to bring in additional custom with football on the TV proved to be unsuccessful – and added to the cost pressures associated with the venue.
In a statement, Sean and Debbie said: “Since opening back in Nov 2019, it has been an extremely difficult time and it is no secret that hospitality has suffered. We have tried everything, but we are just couple of locals who opened the bar after we saw so many in the area close and we had no experience in the industry.
“We recently got Sky & TNT Sports on our huge 98inch TV screen in a desperate effort to save the business, we had it installed but this has proved to be the final nail in our coffin, as the cost is high and it didn’t bring in enough sales to cover the cost.
“We also changed our opening hours over the summer because we had no one came in for the first hour or more and then we got people saying we don’t know when you are open, despite publishing our hours on FB, google, in the bar and on the outside of the door.
“One by one, we have seen many customers disappear to other establishments and now we are left with too few to sustain the business unfortunately. We haven’t taken much from the business since we opened in 2019 and unfortunately we work for peanuts and like so many others, and unfortunately winter is coming and the energy bills are getting higher as is the cost of stock.
“We would like to say a special thanks to all staff who have worked for us over the 6 years and those special customers who have remained loyal to us since we opened and we will miss you all. We hope to see you down at the Taps before we close to say goodbye. A very sad time.”
There are no plans for anyone to immediately take on management of the bar, but the owners will continue to explore options for a sale.
In December 2024, Blog Preston reported that the bar was set to go to auction with a minimum bid of £260,000 but this move did not result in a sale.
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