Greene King could sell troubled Reading night club

Brewery and landlord Greene King owns several pubs and bars in the town including The Outlook, The Palmer Tavern, and The Three Tuns among others.

It also owns the now closed Matchbox nightclub, which has had a chequered history in recent years.

The former nightclub had been marred for many years by incidents of violence that eventually prompted police to call for restricted opening hours.

In one incident, ex-soldier Malcolm Callender died aged 48 after a ‘a game of slaps’ with his son ended in tragedy outside the Matchbox in April 2019.

Later that year, there was trouble at the club, with a fight breaking out that led to a security guard having a chair thrown at him and a brawl that spilt out into the streets.

Ultimately, 30 police officers were dispatched to restore order after 2am on December 7, 2019. Greene King, which owns the club and leased it out to operators voluntarily closed Matchbox after the incident.

Thames Valley Police called for the licence of Matchbox to be reviewed, which was undertaken during a council licensing meeting in January 2020, and the opening hours were eventually restricted.

READ MORE: How landlady turned around troubled pub and 'brought it back to life'

A representative of Greene King and the club operators Big Smoke Brew Co were present at the meeting, where they declared intentions to convert the venue into a craft beer and gin bar to address concerns about disorder.

The council’s licensing committee decided the new brewery must close at 1.30am Thursday to Saturday rather than 3am, and 12.30am from Sunday to Wednesday rather than  2.30am.

The club was rebranded Neighbourhood bar & kitchen around 2020 but has since closed.

The closed Neighbourhood bar & kitchen, formerly Matchbox, which is set to be taken over by Spirit Bar at 5-6 Friar Street, Reading. Credit: James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporting Service

Now, a company called Spirit Bar could take the club over, with Greene King announcing that it is seeking to sell the premises.

A spokesperson for Greene King said: “We are continuing to explore our options for the sale of the Matchbox, however, no decision has been made yet.”

It is understood that Spirit Bar is interested in buying the club at 5-6 Friar Street, subject to a licence for later opening hours being granted.

Recently, Spirit Bar applied to sell alcohol and soft drinks and host DJs and other entertainers from 11am to 2.30am Thursday to Saturday, from 12pm to 2am on Sundays, and from 11am to 2am Monday to Wednesday.

This application is effectively aimed at reversing time constraints imposed on the club when it was operating as Matchbox.

The application by Spirit Bar is subject to a public consultation. You can email comments to licensing@reading.gov.uk by the deadline on Friday, November 17.