Ludo Sports Bar & Kitchen – one of the UK’s leading premium sports bar brands – has secured £6m of new funding from HSBC UK to grow its portfolio by five additional sites, with the first of these already opened in the Guildhall Shopping Centre in Exeter. It will become the second Ludo location in the South West, following the opening of Ludo, Bath in May 2023.
Ludo Sports Bar & Kitchen – the joint venture between St Austell Brewery and Ed Martin and the senior team at ETM Group – is known for its premium sports viewing experience. The opening of Ludo, Exeter follows the phenomenal success of Ludo, Bath – winner of the ‘Bar’ category at the Bath Life Awards 2024, and the official sports bar partner for Bath Rugby, Bath Racecourse and the NFL in the South West.
Speaking about the new Ludo, Exeter site, Kevin Georgel, Chief Executive, St Austell Brewery says: “Following the success of Ludo Bath, we’re excited to be growing the Ludo Sports Bar & Kitchen brand and announcing the Exeter opening. Having quickly become one of the go-to places for live sport in Bath, the first site of its kind has been a great proof of concept for us.
Exeter boasts a thriving sports scene and we’re sure the latest opening will quickly establish itself in the city as a premium, high-energy location for fans to unite. In partnership with Ed Martin and his team we have big ambitions for the Ludo brand. Securing the £6m of new funding from HSBC UK will allow us to scale at pace, and bring the premium sports bar concept to more locations across the South and South West.”
Commenting on the growth of Ludo Sports Bar & Kitchen, Ed Martin, Chief Executive says: “It’s always been our intention to expand our premium sports bar business in new markets outside of London, which started with the opening of our first site – Ludo Sports Bar & Kitchen, Bath – in May 2023 in partnership with the team at St Austell Brewery. The proven success of Ludo has driven our vision; the site delivered revenue of close to £2m during its first 12 months of trading.
The Bath venue is known and loved for its superb, one-of-a-kind offering and the atmosphere on key sporting occasions is incredible. Seeing the premises packed out on match days, fight nights and finals is really quite something – Bath vs Northampton (rugby) and the Tyson Fury vs Alexander Usyk fight (boxing) on Saturday 18th May 2024 secured us a record day; and the Euros final was nothing less than electrifying – there really was no need to be in Berlin, when we had it going on in Bath! We can’t wait to create these memorable experiences to even more sports fans across the West Country (and elsewhere).”
Christopher Hudson, Corporate Banking Director at HSBC UK adds: “We’re delighted to support Ludo Sports Bar & Kitchen as it grows its footprint in the South and South West. The team’s innovative approach to combining sports entertainment and quality dining matches the dynamic needs of consumers, and we are proud to play a part in their exciting journey. This funding demonstrates HSBC UK’s ongoing commitment to supporting businesses that drive growth across the region.”
The opening of Ludo Sports Bar & Kitchen, Exeter has created 60 new job opportunities, with additional part time staff to support its operations. The site can accommodate 400 guests.
To find out more about Ludo Sports Bar & Kitchen, please visit www.ludobars.com.
