Manchester entrepreneurs open Allotment Bar creating 11 jobs

Manchester entrepreneurs, Gavin Williams and James Kennedy, have opened their first bar and restaurant, Allotment Bar, in the boutique Northern Quarters of Manchester.

The new venture has created 11 new jobs and was opened thanks to a £75k loan from RBS.

Lifetime friends, Gavin and James, both have experience of running bars in and around Manchester during their student days.

Gavin and James are expecting to turnover £700k in their first year.

Stuart McNaboe, relationship manager at RBS, worked with them to discuss viable options that would work well for their business in its infancy.

Stuart agreed to a £75k start-up loan so Gavin and James could purchase the lease on Allotment Bar, undergo a refurbishment project and purchase the necessary equipment required.

The RBS funding was alongside £75k of their own personal cash injection into the business bringing the total funding of the project to £150,000.

Gavin Williams, owner and director of Allotment Bar explains, “It is very different running a bar to owning and having responsibility for a new business, nevertheless it was a chance James and I were ready to take.

“I have been to university, travelled and now felt it was the right time for James and I to implement our skillset into a business we were confident we could succeed in.

“The next step was to secure the finance to allow the dream to become a reality and Stuart at RBS instilled us with confidence from the start with his approachable manner and desire to support local businesses. Stuart provided us with advice and assistance and implemented the correct finance facility that would work well for us as a business alongside our own cash injection.

“It’s very exciting opening our doors to the Manchester community and so far we have been thrilled at the attention Allotment Bar has attracted. We are privileged to be surrounded by a vibrant business community and residential housing and see our location as a real unique selling point. Exciting times are ahead and we are looking forward to establishing ourselves and being recognised as a top provider of food and drink in Manchester.”