Gin bar to open on the sea front at Sunderland

19 May 2022

A family-run gin bar and restaurant is set to open its third venue on Sunderland's sea front.

Tin of Sardines was first established in 2017 on Durham's Elvet Bridge by father and son business partners Lord Trevor and Ben Davis.

The venue holds just 16 people and stocks hundreds of varieties of gin.

Following its success, a second bar was then opened in Poole on the south coast.

The new Sunderland base has views of the Roker Pier and its two blue-flag beaches and will stock more than 200 varieties of gin and 50 mixers, as well as locally produced snacks and meals.

Trevor and Davis, alongside business partner Bethany Jane Hardy, are hoping that the bar will contribute to the transformation of the city's seaside.

Davis said: "Since being handed the keys last week we've been delighted with how work is progressing on the site and we are confident of opening our doors within the next six to eight weeks. The Tin of Sardines brand has been a real success since we first opened our doors in Durham five years ago and we had 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."

A ten-year lease has been signed for the site, and the opening will create 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.

Regional commercial property agents Lofthouse and Partners secured the lease on behalf of Sunderland City Council.

Mario Jaconelli, director at Lofthouse and Partners, said: "It is very rare that such a unique seafront opportunity like this becomes available to the market and accordingly it attracted a substantial level of interest from some very good quality operators. Following the selection process our clients were satisfied that the successful tenant will bring another dynamic and offering to the fast-changing sea front offering."