Tiger Tiger venues add bite to Urbium

BARS operator Urbium today declared that the tough trading on provincial High Streets was improving at last.

While Urbium's core London nightclubs - where it owns the Tiger Tiger brand - have enjoyed strong sales growth in recent years, it has suffered from the wider malaise elsewhere.

Today it reported that a 6% decline in like-for-like sales in the regions during the first half of 2004 had been followed by an improvement, with second-half like-for-likes only down 1.6%.

'It's fair to say it is still tough but December was very strong outside London,' chairman John Conlan said. Meanwhile, West End and City venues in London go from strength to strength with like-for-like sales soaring 5.1% over the year.

Conlan has been so impressed by the success of his four new bars in the City that he plans 10 to 15 in the area - almost as many as he has in the group's West End heartland.

He joined others in the bars industry to say the extension of opening hours would have barely any impact on his business. Of all its London venues, only one would be applying for extra hours trading time.

'We have no desire for 24-hour licensing and nor do most reputable operators. It's not economic.' Pre-tax profits in the year to 31 December jumped to £11m from £9.3m a year earlier on turnover of £75.3m, up 13% from the £66.7m made last time. The group's debt also fell, leaving Conlan keen for more acquisitions of sites around the country. Smoking bans are being brought in across all the group's eating areas this year.