Eclectic to open three Lola Lo’s with £1.6m investment

The group has bought 500-capacity Tiki bar Kukui in Bournemouth as a going concern, which will be rebranded as Lola Lo for the start of the student year in September.

Eclectic has also been granted planning permission to create a new build Lola Lo in Reading, work on which will begin on 4 July. The 500-capacity venue will feature a large outdoor area, to be called Tiki Beach, and is also scheduled to open in September.

Completing the group’s recent round of investment, the Po Na Na in Edinburgh will close at the end of this month and reopen as Lola Lo in mid-August.

The investment comes just months after the Avanti-backed group revealed plans to open two bars in Oxford and Cambridge, at a total cost of £850k.

Serious acquisition quest​

Reuben Harley, managing director of Eclectic Clubs & Bars, said the group is on ‘a serious acquisition trail’.

“Eclectic is delighted to be able to open these new venues to further consolidate our position as the UK’s biggest Tiki-bar operator,” he said. “Our goal is to eventually have 30–40 sites up and running in the UK.

“The success of our existing Lola Lo and Sakura venues has confirmed that these brands travel well, and bring stylish and exciting entertainment to the towns and cities where we are established.

“As we grow it is our intention to enhance each town’s late-night economy, and to continue to be a responsible and considerate member of the local community.”

Eclectic is currently searching for prime sites in university towns and cities, including Bristol, Cheltenham, Durham, Exeter, Cardiff, Leeds and Sheffield.

It is also interested in sites in central London for unbranded operations.

The group also operates two Lola Lo’s in Brighton and Norwich.