New nightclub set to open to help 'bring life back into town centre'

Following the closure of Zoo Bar, Punch Tarmey's, and Circus, a family well known for town centre businesses have taken over the Westfield Street unit to breathe new life into the venue.

Planned to open its doors later this month, the business will be called 'Kingdom Nightclub' and is planned to operate as a cocktail bar and 'Over 25s' nightclub.

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The unit was previously known as Circus bar (Image: St Helens Star)
The club will be managed by Kazim Yurdakurban, whose family has run the Turkish restaurant Anatolia Grill, which was named Star readers' Best Restaurant of 2022, as well as the popular takeaway Geno's for a number of years.

The family also manage the Empire nightclub on Westfield Street and were the owners of Breeze Bar on Ormskirk Street before its licence was revoked in 2020.

Kazim, 34, said: "We're looking to bring a bit of life back into the town centre because there are a lot of complaints at how dead it has become.

"There are a good few bars and clubs in St Helens so we are trying to build on this and offer something different to improve the nightlife in town."

The venue operated as Punch Tarmey's prior to Circus bar
Working hard behind the scenes to provide a high quality venue along Westfield Street, Kazim said that 'Kingdom' will open in the early afternoon and offer a wide range of cocktails and drinks.

There are also plans to have live entertainment as the two-storey venue continues to operate into the early hours.

The family are well known for running Anatolia Grill and Geno's (Image: Google Maps)
Noting the building's freshly painted green walls, Kazim added: "My dad built Anatolia Grill from scratch from his imagination, so this was his idea to catch people's attention in the town centre.

"We have lifelong friends in St Helens and good relationships with other bar owners, so hopefully we can help to get the town centre back on track."

With the family and contractors putting in the final touches at 'Kingdom', Kazim said that he hopes to reopen the venue by Sunday, October 15 if everything goes according to plan.

Following the launch of 'Kingdom', the Yurdakurban's will then turn their attention to Breeze Bar, where Kazim said refurbishments and improvements are ongoing in order to regain a licence from the council and reopen the venue at a later date.