Seaside toasts new gin emporium opening

An award-winning gin bar operator has opened its latest North East venue, marking a sea change in a popular seaside resort's leisure offering.

Tin of Sardines, which made headlines when it opened the world's smallest gin bar in Durham, has this week opened a third site, in a heritage building on Sunderland's sea front.

Boasting a landscaped outdoor terrace peering over the iconic Roker Pier with stunning panoramas of two blue-flag beaches, the venue stocks over 200 varieties of gin and 50 mixers, as well as an array of locally produced snacks and meals.

Founded by father and son business partners Lord Trevor and Ben Davis, the pair opened the first ever Tin of Sardines venue on Durham's historic Elvet Bridge in 2017, with the venue holding just 16 people and stocking hundreds of varieties of gin.

The concept proved such a success that the pair opened a second venue in Trevor's hometown of Poole, a popular seaside town on England's south coast, renovating a former newsagents and contributing to the conservation and restoration of the town's famed shoreline.

Trevor and Ben - alongside business partner Bethany Jane Hardy - are now hoping their first foray into Sunderland with Tin of Sardines will follow in the success of their previous two sites and help contribute to the ongoing transformation of the city's seaside.

Ben said: "The Tin of Sardines brand has been a real success since we first opened our doors in Durham five years ago and we'd been mulling over a third venue for some time before we saw the former Roker Toilet Block hit the market.

"As someone born and bred in Sunderland and as a family embedded in the region's hospitality industry for decades, we knew this was an opportunity we couldn't miss out on and were sold on the idea of bringing it to the city as soon as we set eyes on it.

"Our success has been built upon providing a quaint, relaxed atmosphere, where people can meet, eat and drink away from the hustle and bustle. Identifying locations that nurture such an environment is somewhat of a challenge and for my money - with its breath-taking views of the promenade and idyllic location - there aren't many sites in the North East that could come close to this aesthetically."

The Davis Family, who hail from Sunderland and count a number of successful leisure venues among their portfolio, have signed a 10-year lease for the former Roker Toilet Block on Pier View - adjacent to the Bungalow Café - creating 12 jobs.

This follows a £250,000 investment from Sunderland City Council, assisted by grant funding courtesy of The Coastal Communities Fund, to ensure the premises was ready for a tenant to move into.

The income from the lease will also support the Sunderland Seafront Trust, which operates the Roker Pier and Lighthouse tours, and the new income will help it to organise a range of seafront events and activities.

Ben added: "Seaburn and Roker have benefited from millions of pounds of investment over recent years and we're delighted to be the latest company joining this fantastic community of businesses.

"We can't thank Sunderland City Council enough for giving us this unique opportunity and we are looking forward to working with local traders as we craft our new offering and breathe a new lease of life into the site."

Sunderland City Council has spent more than £10m on seafront regeneration and improvements over recent years, with award-winning environmental and street-scene enhancements helping attract developments such as Seaburn Stack, the Seaburn Inn and a host of new businesses to Marine Walk. It's a key part of the wider transformation of the city, including the city centre, which is attracting hundreds of millions of pounds of investment into Riverside Sunderland.

Cllr Graeme Miller, leader of Sunderland City Council, said: "We are delighted to see Tin of Sardines adding to the seafront's ever-changing leisure offering.

"Over recent years we've invested millions into upgrading the city's seafront destinations and making them investor and visitor-ready and attracting businesses such as Tin of Sardines is key to helping us achieve our goals."

For more information on Sunderland as a city to do business, visit: https://www.mysunderland.co.uk/business-and-investment or follow @InvestSundUK