Bolton firm plans national expansion
By Angela Jameson
A Bolton-based entrepreneur and nightclub operator is planning a multi-million pound investment in hotel, nightclub and restaurant developments across the country.
Giovanni Musso, managing director of the newly formed Trackmoon company, and his brother Giuseppe, made a splash in the North-west last year when they opened a £2.9m restaurant and nightclub complex.
Built within a renovated mill in the heart of Bolton, the complex, known as the Village Oil Works, contains two separate clubs and a 75-seat stand-alone Sicilian restaurant, Bellini's.
The brothers now hope to repeat their success with a number of other projects, including a four-star standard hotel in nearby Burnley.
The 40-bedroom property will be built in the former Bank Hall Miners Welfare Institute and will include banqueting facilities, a small disco, a pub and another Sicilian restaurant, based on Bellini's.
"Burnley is desperately short of four-star hotels. This will be a revolutionary project and will feel more like a second home than a traditional hotel," Mr Musso told Caterer.
The project, which is subject to final planning regulations, is expected to cost in the region of £3m and should be completed by the end of 1997.
Trackmoon also plans to invest about £15m in building five further nightclub and restaurant complexes, based on the Bolton scheme, in the next two years. The company is currently looking for sites in central London, the Midlands, Scotland and Yorkshire.
Each will contain two nightclubs and a self-contained 100-seat restaurant, modelled on Bellini's. Average spend per head is anticipated at about £17, although the menu will offer everything from pizzas at £5 through to an elaborate three-course meal.
Trackmoon also begins building work on a 24-hour diner in Bolton next month, serving classic Italian and Spanish dishes as well as traditional American diner food.
"We want to make Bolton a 24-hour town to rival Manchester and Liverpool. The dance scene has shown that people don't want to go home at two in the morning," said Mr Musso, who has worked closely with the police and local authorities to gain a 24-hour licence.
