Gerald Edelman is delighted to announce that its Deal Advisory team has advised the shareholders of Barrio Familia, a Latin American-inspired London bar group, on its sale to Nightcap plc, a UK-based multiple bar operator.

Barrio Familia owns and operates five sites: four Barrio-branded Latin American-inspired, tequila-led, cocktail bars, situated in the popular London areas of Shoreditch, Soho, Brixton and Angel; and the iconic Soho members club, Disrepute.

Barrio Bar Group was founded by Ferdie Ahmed in 2007, with the first Barrio site opening in Angel, and the other three Barrio-branded sites opening in the years that followed. In 2016 Disrepute, a luxurious, high-end, 60s-themed cocktail bar, was established in Soho.

The acquisition is complementary to the other brands run by Nightcap, which was founded during the 2021 lockdown period by ex-Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Sarah Willingham, and entrepreneur Michael Toxvaerd; The Cocktail Club, and The Adventure Bar Group’s Tonight Josephine and Blame Gloria. As part of the deal with Nightcap, Ferdie will continue working in the group.

Ferdie Ahmed, Founder of Barrio Familia, commented:

“We are absolutely thrilled for the next step in Barrio’s journey, becoming part of the Nightcap Group. The dream has always been to see a busy Barrio in every big party neighbourhood of the UK and what other way for Barrio Familia to realise this than by joining the Nightcap family. Having closely followed and admired the Group’s other brands, we’re confident that the business that we’ve poured our hearts and souls into building, will be passed into trusted hands and I am personally excited to be continuing my journey as I join the Nightcap team.

The team at Gerald Edelman have been instrumental in navigating this deal and provided exceptional advice from start to finish – we couldn’t have done this without them! Their dedication, expert guidance and obvious experience of running similar deals in our sector enabled the process to run smoothly and efficiently, and we are incredibly grateful to have had them by our side throughout. For any business owners who are considering selling their business, I would highly recommend the team at Gerald Edelman.”

Nick Wallis, Partner in Gerald Edelman’s Deal Advisory team, added:

“It has been a real pleasure to work with the Barrio team and we are delighted to have successfully advised Ferdie and the other Barrio shareholders throughout this exciting transaction. The completion of this deal highlights investors’ returning appetite for investments in the leisure and hospitality space, and demonstrates our team’s expertise in advising and completing mid-market transactions, particularly in this sector. We wish Ferdie and the Barrio team the very best for the future with Nightcap, and look forward to watching the Barrio brand being rolled out across the country!”