Chapel Down has closed its King’s Cross micro-gin distillery and bar after just a year of trading, the drinks firm famous for English sparkling wine told the Evening Standard on Friday.
Frazer Thompson, chief executive of the NEX-listed company backed by City veteran Michael Spencer, said: “Although we got great reviews and gave customers a terrific experience, we couldn’t get the scale of traffic we needed to make it profitable.”
He added that the site closed this month, and said: “Always difficult when the staff have been so fantastic.”
The boss did not say how much the Kent-based business invested there.
The venue, on a huge site being redeveloped by a consortium including property firm Argent, was situated further away from the main restaurants and bar hubs at King’s Cross, including Granary Square and Coal Drops Yard.
James Rayner at Argent said footfall across the estate was over 11.5 million last year, up 15%. He added that the gin works was a temporary site, intended for other development plans in the future.
No details on when the lease was due to expire were given, but the bar has closed earlier than expected. Chapel Down’s website said it will be contacting customers that have bookings outstanding, offering refunds or alternative offers.
The company added that its gins can still be bought elsewhere.
