The owner of The Grand in Southport has thanked local people for their incredible support after the landmark celebrated its first birthday.
The stunning art deco venue, on Lord Street, opened its doors in July 2022 and is part way through a substantial restoration that has already cost over £4 million.
Thousands of visitors have been enjoying the first phase of its eye-catching new look, with a busy brasserie restaurant and the stylish Chloe’s piano bar on the ground floor.
The Princess Grace Suite on the first floor has become increasingly popular with a whole host of weddings, celebrations, events and functions.
Celebrities such as champion boxer Tony Bellew have appeared at special events this year, with England World Cup star Paul Gascoigne due on the bill this September.
The Princess Grace Suite features the iconic ‘Disney Windows’ which were created in the 1930s following agreement from Walt Disney himself when the historic building was used as a cinema.
The scenes feature a series of Disney characters including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and have been lovingly restored.
Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group is now working on the next phase of the development, preparing to open the much-awaited Harry’s Bar and the Sky Bar on the top floor next year.
Southport u3a celebrated the Coronation with a sumptuous tea party at the Grand in Southport. Provided by Darren Christian or Christian Classic Cars kindly chauffeured Kate, a 1934 Daimler. Photo by Andrew Brown Stand Up For Southport
The magnificent Grade II Listed art deco building – one of the finest in Southport – was originally opened in 1923 and has since entertained generations of Sandgrounders and visitors from around the UK as a cinema, as a bingo hall, as an early car showroom, and as the former Grand Casino.
It is now enjoying its new life as The Grand.
The venue is the ultimate family business with owners Andrew and Vicky Mikhail having enjoyed their first date together in the building 23 years ago when it was Stanley’s Casino.
Chloe’s Piano Bar, the Princess Grace Suite and Harry’s Bar are named after three of the couple’s children.
Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group Chairman Andrew Mikhail said: “We have lots of reasons to celebrate! As well as The Grand reaching its first birthday, the building is 100 years old this year too.
“We are doing everything we can to renovate this amazing landmark and bring it back to its former glory.
“The feedback we have had from people since we opened The Grand last year has been magnificent.
“People have told us the venue has the real ‘wow’ factor when they walk in.
“I am overwhelmed with the amount of support I have had over the past few months.
“People have been coming up to me and my team thanking us for what we have brought to Southport and the difference we are making here.”
Guests enjoy a meal at The Grand in Southport
Mikhail Hotel and Leisure Group is a huge investor in Southport, particularly in the northern end of the historic Lord Street boulevard, with venues including the Bold Hotel, the Lord Street Hotel, the Lord Street Sports Bar, Punch Tarmey’s Irish themed bar and the Maverick’s Top Gun themed bar, which opened earlier this year.
The group also operates the centre bar at the historic Southport Market, which is celebrating its second birthday since its £1.4 million transformation in 2021.
Andrew Mikhail said: “Before I arrived, what is now the thriving ‘Northern Quarter’ end of Lord Street was struggling. Many of the grand old buildings there were derelict and boarded up.
“The former Grand Casino building had been empty and badly vandalised for years; the Lord Street Hotel was a former furniture store which was a mess and empty; Maverick’s was vacant and in a really poor condition for a long time after Pizza Express left.
“We have renovated a series of buildings which were in a very sorry state when we walked into them. We have produced some exciting new ventures, and we have created scores of new jobs for local people.
“We are a big part of Southport now. We are making lots of great reasons why people from around the UK should come and visit the town.
“We are very pleased with how our first year has gone since we opened.
“People have told us they really enjoy eating in the Brasserie.
“We have only been open for a few months and already we have been rated by customers through TripAdvisor as the seventh best place to eat in Southport out of 221 venues, giving the food and their experience as 5 stars out of 5.
“That is quite an accolade in such a short space of time amidst some very strong competition in the town. We are very humbled by people’s response.
Award-winning chef, Colin Gannon has recently taken up position as Director of Food at The Grand, Southport, and Mikhail Hotels and Leisure Group.
“We are always striving to improve the quality of the food and the quality of the experience for our customers.
“A few weeks ago we were delighted to appoint multi award-winning chef Colin Gannon as our new Director of Food for both The Grand and also for Mikhail Hotel and Leisure.
“Colin is a very highly sought-after chef and it took us several months to make the appointment we wanted. He has now begun the next level of his career which is very exciting for everyone.
“Colin has already done some superb work in creating new dishes for our menu, and transforming afternoon tea at The Grand to become one of the best in the region.
“People visiting us for functions and events such as weddings, events, anniversaries, birthdays and other celebrations know the quality of the food they can enjoy will be top quality.
“We have also been impressed with the work done by Tibu Pinedu since he was appointed as our General Manager earlier this year.
“Tibu is vastly experienced in the hospitality industry in this region and is very well-known and respected locally.
Award-winning chef, Colin Gannon has recently taken up position as Director of Food at The Grand, Southport, and Mikhail Hotels and Leisure Group.
“Michael Howard, our Assistant General Manager, has fast become a figurehead of The Grand with his extensive bar and cocktail knowledge and flamboyant personality really makes it a great experience.
“Callum King, our Head Chef, has been with us for seven years and is very talented. He works very closely with our Chef de Partie, Tom Eastwood.
“Our two daughters are very involved in the business. Grace works as a Supervisor at The Grand, while Chloe works at The Bold.
“Colin and Tibu have been leading the way in training all our full and part-time members of staff.
“It’s not an easy job! Mentoring over 50 employees, some of whom have never worked in hospitality before, and getting the balance of our workforce just right, was always going to take time. Such a huge undertaking was never going to happen overnight.
“With any business, it takes to be able to get all your ducks in a row.
The Grand on Lord Street in Southport. Photo by Dave Brown Photography
“We expect to set high standards when our guests come into The Grand and we hope people are seeing the results of all the hard work being done behind the scenes. We are only going to get better.
“One of the beauties of The Grand is that we have a car park to the rear of the building which allows us to offer three hours’ free parking for our customers.
“All they have to do when they arrive is provide their vehicle registration details when they arrive at reception.
“There are not many places in Southport town centre where you can go out for lunch or an event and you can enjoy free parking for up to three hours without having to worry about parking tickets.”
It has been a fast-paced first year since The Grand opened its doors.
The Grand in Southport
There have been several hugely successful events, such as the first ever Pride Of Sefton Awards, a truly emotional evening which recognised the very best community figures from across Sefton.
There have been fortunes raised for charities such as ICU Steps through successful fundraising nights following Andrew’s own six-month battle against Covid-19 which left him in intensive care and determined to give something back to the NHS.
Andrew Mikhail said: “The Princess Grace function suite has become the premier function space in the region.
“There is nowhere else like it in terms of quality.
“It is the best wedding venue in Southport, we have been getting huge interest from couples planning for their big day.
An artist’s impression of the new Princess Grace Suite at The Grand on Lord Street in Southport
“It has the history, with the famous Disney windows; during the day it has beautiful views looking across Lord Street with the light flooding into the room; at night you can look out and see the trees lit up along Lord Street.
“We have had lots of fantastic comments from families who have enjoyed their wedding celebrations here with us.
“They say their experience has been amazing, and that is exactly what we want to hear.
“We want to make it a really special day for couples and for everyone enjoying events here.”
MHALG remains ambitious. Next up are ambitions to open Harry’s Bar and the rooftop terrace on the top floor of the building, something else for local people to look forward to.
Andrew Mikhail said: “We have been in discussion with the planning officers at Sefton Council about our plans for Harry’s Bar and the rooftop terrace.
“It has not been an easy task and we have had some issues to overcome.
“But we are making real progress now and we are looking to open some time next year.”
Southport’s famous stained glass Disney windows have been lovingly restored at The Grand on Lord Street in Southport
Andrew Mikhail is very optimistic about Southport’s future, and for good reason.
There is lots happening. Any time now, construction work will begin on the brand new £73 million Marine Lake Events Centre, an exciting upgrade on the former Southport Theatre.
Work will also start soon on the new Southport Enterprise Arcade. Plans for the new £73 Southport Cove are progressing well.
There is lots of new investment along Lord Street with new restaurants, shops, cafes, shops and even a new indoor climbing centre on the way.
Andrew Mikhail said: “Sometimes on social media, some people can be quick to criticise Southport. But there are so many reasons to be optimistic.
“There is so much happening in Southport at the moment with the new Marine lake Events Centre, the new Enterprise Arcade, The Garrick, and all the other exciting new developments.
“It is exactly what we need! We need more investment, we need to keep this positivity and this momentum going.
An old picture of The Grand on Lord Street in Southport
“We have got so many reasons to be excited about what is happening in Southport.
“Sefton Council is doing a great job in attracting new investment. Council officers such as Stephen Watson, Mark Catherall, Stuart Barnes and others are all putting in a lot of time and effort to make things happen.
“I have spent some time recently in other towns in the UK – I won’t name them – and they are drastically worse off than Southport. Sometimes we don’t realise how fortunate we are here.
“The world has changed in recent years, with the pandemic playing a part in that.
“More and more people are shopping online. Retail is becoming less prominent on our high streets.
“We are all adapting to a new world.
Building work begins on the former Grand Casino building on Lord Street in Southport in 2021. Photo by Dave Gregg
“What people cannot replicate online is the ability to give them good quality experiences.
“They want somewhere memorable to go and enjoy a meal, or a night out with friends, or to go and stay.
“I have brought some really top quality establishments to Southport.
“I have businesses in Liverpool, in Manchester, in St Helens, but I feel more and more at home in Southport. I love this town. It really feels like home.
“It has cost me a fortune to invest so much money here!
“I have done it for the future, I truly believe really great things are coming for Southport.”
- For more details about The Grand please visit: www.thegrand.co.uk
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