UK bar chain enters administration with future of Manchester site undecided

Cricket-based bar Sixes has fallen into administration

A chain of UK sports-based bars backed by cricketer Ben Stokes has fallen into administration – with the future of the Manchester site yet to be decided.

Sixes, which runs 16 cricket-themed entertainment venues across England, said it has entered administration following “challenging” recent trading. The hospitality business has announced it will immediately shut its site in Southampton as a result. However, administrators said all other venues will continue to operate as it seeks a potential rescue deal, and will continue to honour its future bookings.

Administrators from FRP Advisory, who were hired on Wednesday to oversee the process, are talking with “a number of interested parties about a sale”. Sixes, which was founded in 2020 by Calum Mackinnon and Andy Waugh, also runs a venue in the West Indies. In 2023, the business secured funding from 4Cast Investment Group, which includes England internationals Stokes, Jofra Archer and Stuart Broad.

It is among chains to have grown in recent years as part of a boom in so-called competitive socialising, competing with brands such as Flight Club and Junkyard Golf. The group said it has a core of strongly performing sites but has seen others struggle in the face of fierce competition and “reduced consumer spending”.

Tony Wright, joint administrator and partner at FRP, said: “Sixes has built a strong brand in the social entertainment space with its unique venues proving very popular with customers. While some locations have struggled in an increasingly competitive market, the business has significant potential, and we’re encouraged by the early interest we’ve received from parties interested in acquiring the brand and its strongest-performing sites.

“Our priority is to secure the best outcome for the business and its stakeholders while ensuring customers can continue to enjoy their bookings through the Christmas period and beyond. We’re confident that with the right investment and focus, Sixes can build on its core strengths.”