Punch Taverns to continue US-themed sports bar and grill rollout

Pub operator Punch Taverns is to open its first Champs sports bar and grill in the south of England, and the sixth in total.

In a joint £430,000 investment with licensee Jat Bhardwa, the leased operator will turn the former Maguire’s site in Ilford, Essex, into a US-themed sports bar.

The venue, on Chapel Road, will include 11 HD TV screens together with seating booths with individual TVs. It will open on 25 June following a five-week refurbishment

A grill menu will centre on ribs and burgers, and there will be a resident DJ on Friday and Saturday nights.

Rising Sun

Bhardwa – who has been running bars since he was 18 and is now 34 – also owns and operates Ilford pub the Rising Sun, formerly owned by Punch. Prior to that, he owned the freehold of the Earl of Wakefield in Forest Gate.

He said: “I’m a mad football fan. Over the years, I’ve played for local teams and I’ve always owned or operated bars, so this is a perfect match for me.”

Bhardwa added: “With Champs, I get to create a fantastic, premium sports bar while watching all my favourite matches. It’s great to team up with Punch, which is offering me a raft of support to make sure that it’s a winning concept.”

Champs was developed by Punch in 2012 after it bought the name of the former Champs bar in Sheffield’s Ecclesall Road from Thornbridge Brewery, before opening up a new bar under the same name 100 yards away.

The original Champs was turned into a real ale bar and restaurant by its new owner BrewKitchen.

Punch said the investment into the Ilford site will also create 30 new jobs for the town.