Deal struck for leisure development at Cains

Entrepreneur Andrew Mikhail has completed a deal to take forward part of Liverpool’s Cains brewery site, promising an initial £7m investment in four phases.

Talking of delivery over a three-year period, the intention is for phase one to include the introduction of an Irish bar that will be the third of Mikhail’s Punch Tarmey brand; with a food hall and craft brewery in phase two, a sky bar in phase three and a hotel to be delivered as the final part.

Another bar with capacity for 120, already named as The Quarter Hoop, plus a 400-capacity brewery hall will sit alongside the existing Brewery Tap and Punch Tarmey, operating on the other side of the brewery.

No financial details of the deal have been disclosed.

Brewing stopped at the listed Cains complex in 2013. In the same year, a planning consent was granted for the Cains Brewery Village, a mixed-use leisure scheme including a 94-bedroom hotel, along with talk of a museum and arthouse cinema.

Outline consent was also given for 725 homes, 36,300 sq ft of commercial space and a 41,900 sq ft food store. Colliers International has been marketing the site on behalf of the Dusanj brothers, who retained the site following the closure of the brewery.

In the last two years, Baltic Market has started to operate a street food market at the site, while in 2016 Baltic Creative agreed a ten-year lease on 45,000 sq ft of warehousing to be used as studios and gallery space. The Stanhope Street site is dominated by the listed 170,000 sq ft main brewery building.

Mikhail said: “It’s an astonishing building and that’s why we’ve put together such a bold scheme. There’s two cavernous tunnels running through the site that we will be converting into two live music venues.” He added that inspiration will be taken from the Guinness brewery in Dublin, a visitor magnet for that city.

The Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group currently owns Southport’s Bold Hotel and the Eccleston Arms, St Helens and is to open Lord Street Hotel in Southport in July.

MHALG also owns Punch Tarmey’s Irish pubs in Southport and St Helens and recently took on Doctor Duncan’s in Liverpool city centre and the Cains brewery tap.

Mikhail is also listed as a director of businesses including energy company Solarcrown and Accident Assist Car & Van Hire.

He said: “This is a pivotal moment for our business – Cains Brewery and Liverpool are such iconic brands and Cains of course is part of the city’s heritage.

“We’re investing an initial £7m in four phases as part of bringing to life what is a 15,000 sq ft scheme on three levels plus a basement with incredible potential.”

Mikhail said he said he has been in discussions with Sudarghara Dusanj, the former managing director of Cains, for around six months. He added: “Cains is a resilient brand just like Liverpool and we’re really excited to be bringing Cains Brewery back, albeit with a new direction that will bring national attention to Liverpool for all the right reasons.”

Dusanj, managing director of Brwery Village added: “The brewery village concept started five years ago and it’s great to see that Cains’ beers will be brought back to life.”