White Rooms and Club Rouge 'down, but not out' (From Salisbury Journal)

White Rooms and Club Rouge 'down, but not out'

1:55pm Wednesday 30th January 2013 in News By Corey Ross

A POPULAR Salisbury bar and a lap-dancing club have closed their doors but their director says they’re “down but not out”.

White Rooms in Milford Street was open as usual on Saturday night but rumours started circulating on Monday evening that a decision had been made to close the bar and Club Rouge, the lapdancing club above the premises, for good.

But Kevin Welch, director of All White Limited, which runs both White Rooms and Club Rouge, said this isn’t the end for the popular late night venues.

“We have some financial difficulties at the moment so we’ve closed the premises down,” he said. “Now we’re trying to put a financial recovery package into place. White Rooms is down, but it’s not out.”

The news has been the subject of much discussion online.

Many Salisbury people have said on Facebook that they are sad to see White Rooms go and that there are few alternatives late at night in the city, but others feel the clubs won’t be a great loss to city nightlife.

The two venues employ about 40 full-time and part-time staff and contractors, who have lost their jobs and are hoping something can be done to save the venues.

Holly Marie White, who worked in White Rooms, said the venue was “a brilliant place to work”. She added that “the staff/management were amazing” and “I made some fabulous friends and I will miss working there”.

A spokesman from Enterprise Inns Plc, a lease and tenancy pub company that rents the property to All White Limited, said: “We can confirm the White Rooms is up for lease and therefore we will soon be actively recruiting for a new publican who can share our vision and take this business forward.”

She added that the current tenant could also apply for the lease.