Popular Richmond Hill venue shutters amid larger company review
The Be At One cocktail bar on Richmond Hill in Bournemouth has closed suddenly as the Stonegate Group, the UK's largest pub operator, conducts a broad review of its estate and faces a formal investigation into its relationships with tenants.
The closure follows a string of recent changes across the company’s south coast estate. In nearby Dorset, the Slug and Lettuce in Poole closed for good last month and Stonegate’s Walkabout site on Old Christchurch Road was shut in July 2023. The company has said it is undertaking a “transformation strategy” and has identified around 100 sites that will move into a revised operating model under its Pub Partners arm.
Regulatory pressure has been building: the Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) announced in July that it is conducting a formal investigation into the Stonegate Group for suspected breaches of the Pubs Code. The PCA has not yet reached any decision, and Stonegate has said it is continuing to work through its review.
“Everybody knows the sector is under enormous pressure, that's why we're calling for a VAT cut inline with Europe,”
The comment above came from Andy Lennox, chair of the Destination Management Board across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP). He said the situation was nuanced because the site in question is owned by Stonegate, which he said was dealing with a significant debt burden and selling or transforming sites as part of a wider response.
Local consequences for hospitality and the town centre
Stonegate’s decisions, and the PCA probe, carry implications for workers, small suppliers and for Bournemouth’s town centre economy. Hospitality operators in the area have faced sustained pressure in recent years, and leaders locally have been vocal about the need for policy support.
- Jobs and staff: sudden closures can leave employees facing short-notice redundancy or relocation.
- High street mix: further loss of food and drink destinations alters footfall patterns in the town centre.
- Landlord-tenant relations: ongoing scrutiny of large pub companies could change how leases and partnerships are structured.
Andy Lennox highlighted the wider structural shifts affecting town centres: that they are “going through a transition” and that Bournemouth has seen new openings even as other venues close. He spoke of hospitality being “under enormous pressure” and urged fiscal measures such as a cut in VAT aligned to European levels to help the sector.
Stonegate's position and scale of change
Industry reporting has underlined the size of Stonegate’s operation and its financial challenges. Earlier coverage has noted the group carried significant debt after its purchase of Enterprise Inns for around £3bn prior to the pandemic, and more recent figures put the company’s total liabilities at about £3.8bn. Tenants have expressed concerns to the PCA, with survey responses indicating dissatisfaction among some leaseholders.
| Venue | Location | Status | Reported time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Be At One | Richmond Hill, Bournemouth | Closed | September 2026 |
| Slug and Lettuce | Poole | Closed | August/September 2026 (reported) |
| Walkabout | Old Christchurch Road | Closed | July 2023 |
For Bournemouth residents the immediate questions are practical: what happens to staff, what will replace empty premises and how will the town centre adapt. Local business groups and the council’s destination board are watching developments closely; their responses highlight both concern and the desire to protect the diversity of Bournemouth’s hospitality offer.
As the PCA investigation progresses and Stonegate completes its review, more clarity may emerge about the future of affected sites. In the meantime, the closure of the Richmond Hill Be At One is a reminder of the fragility of high street hospitality in a period of rapid change and regulatory attention.
