Sharkey’s opens mega second site – and it might just be a record breaker
Sports bar business Sharkey’s has opened a second site on the south-coast and there’s no chance sports fans will be missing any of the action.
With more than 100 TVs, the three-storey venue in Southampton might have more screens than any other bar in the UK.
In total, the wall-to-wall offering comprises 108 screens, this includes more than 100 75-inch TVs and two five metre ‘super screens’ with laser projectors.
And business owner Leon Lindblad says they are not stopping there.
“We have got another eight screens in the storeroom to go up. We are going to put TVs out the front as well and then next summer we are planning to open our roof terrace bar and that will have more screens too.”
It means fans will be able to enjoy all manner of live sports at the bar – including the Premier League and the UEFA Champions League on BT Sport, when the new football season gets underway.
And there will be loads more on offer as well, with professional snooker tables, pool tables, dart lanes, table tennis, beer pong, and games consoles, all adding to the experience.
There are also VIP rooms available for hire and a food partnership with a smokehouse restaurant in the neighbouring venue.
Leon, who has taken inspiration from sports bars he visited when living in America, says the key to Sharkey’s success is providing excellent customer service.
We always make people feel welcome and we always want them to want to come back. We don’t want people having to wait to be served or to get a table. Customer service is so important to what we do.
“Our business philosophy is great customer service and to make everything easy for people.”
The team get the big screens ready for the Sharkey’s Southampton opening
The Southampton site is the second in the Sharkey’s family, following the success of Bournemouth.
It was opened by the Mayor of Southampton with a launch party at the end of June.
The opening was a long-time coming after being delayed by the pandemic. However, customers may not have so long to wait for the next one, with Leon and business partner Rod Cake eyeing up further expansion across the south coast before turning Sharkey’s into a national brand.
Sharkey’s by numbers
- 108 screens in total
- 30 new jobs created
- 3 storeys
- 550 capacity
- 22 tables for snooker, pool, table tennis and air hockey
Does Sharkey’s Southampton have more screens than any other bar in the UK? If you know one with more let us know by tweeting us at @BTSportBars.
