Fuller’s brews up late-night venue

Fuller, Smith & Turner, the brewing and retail giant, is to open a new standalone late-night venue in east London and tweak its London Pride brand.

London design consultancy Parker Williams has created the identity for Katabatic, a one-off bar/ restaurant/ nightclub which Fuller’s is opening in Shoreditch at the beginning of December. Architect and design group Langford & Williams has created the interiors.

According to operations manager for Fuller’s bars division, Kirsten Law, the company intends to expand the late-night concept if Katabatic proves successful.

“We want to get into the latenight scene,” she confirms. “We felt that when the Shoreditch site came along it was a good opportunity to do that. However, this is a real departure from a typical Fuller’s venue. There is no Fuller’s branding.”

Katabatic is split over three levels and designed in a “contemporary, funky style” with a different feel for each level. It has been awarded a 2am licence , though it will serve food throughout the day and into the evening, including breakfast. Fuller’s hopes the bar’s extensive opening hours and different offerings will appeal to a variety of different markets through the day and night.

Parker Williams has also refreshed the look of London Pride cans, with the new image launching at the end of November. The brand will not be repositioned, says David Spencer, brands manager for Fuller’s, but it will be competing harder for the attentions of the pub-going ale drinker.

“We had the can design for a number of years and we felt that we had to improve it, making it more contemporary, stylish and authoritative and changing the way it is perceived by the public,” he explains.

It is an active time for Fuller’s. Its hotels division, English Inns, is planning to add three sites in Bristol, Kingston in Surrey and the City of London. An extra three sites could be added at a later date.