Revolution bars owner shuts 21 venues, with 591 jobs lost

The owner of the Revolution bar chain has shut 21 venues with the loss of 591 jobs after the company fell into administration.

The Revel Collective, which also owns Revolucion de Cuba and Peach Pubs, had put itself up for sale in October after facing what it called “a continued period of external challenges”.

Of its 62 pubs and bars across the UK, 14 Revolution bars, six Revolucion de Cuba bars and one Peach Pub are closing with immediate effect.

FTI Consulting, brought in as administrators, also announced two deals which it said would secure the future of 41 sites and 1,582 jobs.

FTI said the Revolution and Revolucion de Cuba brands and assets had been bought by the bar and club owner Neos Hospitality Group.

The remaining Peach Pubs business has been bought by the new Coral Pub Company.

The Revel Collective said on Monday that discussions with a buyer were “well advanced” but it had filed to enter administration, with shareholders in the company to be left with nothing after the sale.

It has been suspended from trading on London’s junior AIM stock exchange.

It confirmed the deals being considered would wipe out shareholders and that it was entering administration to “protect creditors”, such as banks.

When it put itself up for sale last autumn, Revel Collective blamed “challenging economic conditions” and decisions taken by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in Labour’s first Budget after coming to power in 2024.

That October, the chancellor increased national insurance contributions for employers and announced a rise in the minimum wage.

Revel Collective also hit out at Labour’s decision to increase duties on spirits, which it said will cost more than £4m each year across the group.

A turnaround plan, which saw it shut 15 loss-making bars, was not enough to revive its fortunes, the company said.

It is the latest High Street firm to sound the alarm over higher taxes and staffing costs, with figures published on Monday revealing a surge in closures at the end of 2025.

Data from consumer research firm NIQ showed that 382 hospitality firms shut up shop in the final three months of the year, more than four each day. The UK ended the year with 98,914 hospitality sites, it said.

Karl Chessell, director of hospitality operators and food at NIQ, said “relentless increases in operating costs” were taking a severe toll on the sector.

Pubs, restaurants and other hospitality firms have warned a crisis facing the sector will deepen when changes to how business rates are calculated come into effect in April.

The Treasury has been approached for comment.