It has been confirmed that the Slug & Lettuce bar in Southend will close on 6 December 2025, with some customers now left scrambling to rearrange Christmas plans after having their festive bookings cancelled at short notice.
Stonegate Group, which owns the Slug & Lettuce chain, confirmed that the Southend High Street venue has been transferred to a new independent operator as part of a wider restructuring.
The company is moving more of its pubs into its leased and tenanted estate to give individual publicans “full control of their businesses”.
A spokesperson for Stonegate Group said: “This will be a part of Stonegate Group’s leased and tenanted division, where the publican runs their own business independently.”
The closure brings an end to more than twenty years of the Slug & Lettuce name in Southend. The brand grew quickly across the country in the early 2000s, replacing a number of older high-street pubs, including The Hogshead pub which previously occupied the site.
Clive Aiken recalled: “When it was The Hogshead, it was a great pub. Cosy, with a large bar area to get served quickly.”
Several customers say they were only informed last week that their Christmas events would no longer be going ahead. Tara Rickards said: “We had a group booking for a bottomless brunch here for 13th December and were only contacted about it being cancelled on 25 November. Now have 2 weeks to find a bottomless brunch for 16 people! It’s frustrating as we booked months ago.”
Despite the frustration, some see the change as a fresh start for the site. Andy Almond said: “This is exactly the kind of positive news that Southend’s hospitality scene needs!”
The Southend venue will reopen in mid-December as Skylah’s Bar, run by Will Farrell and Charley Costello, who already operate The Sarah Moore pub in Leigh-on-Sea.
The pair plan to relaunch the site in time for the busy Christmas period, bringing a new approach to one of the High Street’s most recognisable units.
People visiting Southend Hospital will soon have to pay more to park, with the cost…
Train passengers across Essex will soon begin noticing one of the biggest changes to the…
A man was left with serious injuries after he was stabbed by a group of…
Twenty-four drivers have been sentenced following a major police investigation into dangerous driving at a…
Two Essex Police officers were taken to hospital after the unmarked police car they were…
A police investigation is under way after a man died following an incident at a…