Boom Battle Bar in Southend shuts suddenly just two years after opening

Boom Battle Bar in Southend has shut suddenly, just over two years after opening inside the Victoria Shopping Centre. The venue opened in October 2023 in the former Tang’s Buffet unit, bringing what it described as a “competitive socialising” concept to the city centre.

Boom Battle Bar occupied a large unit inside the Victoria Shopping Centre, close to Southend Victoria station. It offered games, cocktails and food aimed at groups, work socials and nights out, and was one of the most high-profile leisure openings the shopping centre had seen in years.

There has been no public statement explaining why the Southend venue has closed, or whether the decision is temporary or permanent. Almost all traces of the Southend venue have been immediately removed online.

The company has deleted its dedicated Southend social media accounts, removed webpages linked to the site, and stopped taking bookings for the Southend location.

Inside, the space was split into multiple activity zones, including axe throwing, augmented reality darts, shuffleboard, pool, beer pong and crazy-style golf.

A £450,000 council-backed deal

The closure is likely to revive debate around the £450,000 financial contribution that Southend City Council made to the operators of the venue.

When the figure was previously raised by other business owners and councillors, council officers clarified that, as the council is the owner and landlord of the Victoria Shopping Centre, it is required to refit empty units to a basic standard before re-letting them.

The unit Boom Battle Bar moved into had previously been Asian buffet restaurant Tang’s. According to the council, it had been vacant for many years and required significant investment to bring it back to a lettable condition.

Rather than the council carrying out the refurbishment itself, an agreement was made for the council to provide what it said would have been its own financial contribution towards the refit directly to Boom Battle Bar, allowing the company to carry out the works itself.

The £450,000 package was described by the council as a mix of capital works and incentives, which it said were common practice in commercial property deals involving long-vacant units.

At the time, the size of the figure drew criticism from some councillors and local business owners, who questioned transparency and value for money. Others argued that without intervention, the unit could have remained empty for many more years.

Response from Southend City Council

Cllr Daniel Cowan, Leader of the Council said: “It is disappointing that Boom Battle Bar has ceased trading, particularly given the shared ambition to bring new life and footfall to the city centre.

“As landlord of the Victoria Shopping Centre, the council has a responsibility to bring long‑term vacant units up to a lettable standard, and the funding provided under a previous administration reflected works the council would otherwise have had to fund itself to re‑let the space. That approach was taken in line with professional advice at the time.

“Our focus is now on understanding the circumstances surrounding the closure, ensuring appropriate steps are taken in relation to staff and customers, and moving quickly to secure a new tenant for this prominent city‑centre unit.”

Disappointment and frustration from customers

News of the closure has been met with disappointment by many who had planned visits. Hannah Cranfield said: “I’m well upset. I was supposed to be going there Saturday for karaoke!”

Mandy Viso added: “I am sad it is closing. It sounded like an awesome venue and I was really hoping to check it out one day.”

Lucy Courtenay said her frustration centred on last-minute cancellations: “We had a booking for next weekend. I’ve had emails back and forth during the afternoon, they’ve assured me a refund has been issued to my card straight away, but could take 3-5 working days to appear. My advise… DON’T book with any Boom venues.. you have no idea if you’ll actually be going. Its not the first time they’ve shut a venue without warning!”

The closure highlights the challenges facing large leisure operators in town and city centres, even where public investment has been involved.