Rushmore sells Match bar to concentrate on members' clubs

The Rushmore Group has sold the Match Bar in London W1 as it concentrates on members' clubs and resurrecting the East Room, which was ravaged by fire last year.

The news emerged after the firm's owner, Jonathan Downey (pictured), used Twitter to announce the sale. The sum was undisclosed, as was the identity of the buyer.

Downey's firm has owned Match for 12 years.

He told Caterer and Hotelkeeper: "I wasn't looking to sell but was approached with a good offer and eventually decided to accept it. My focus from now on has to be on members' clubs and getting the East Room and other similar spaces opened in 2012."

The East Room and Sosho cocktail bar were destroyed by a fire at the building in which they were located in Tabernacle Street, London in 2010.

Rushmore also owns the well-known Milk & Honey bar in Soho, as well as Milk & Honey in New York, the Player in Soho, the Clubhouse hotel in Chamonix, France, and Danger of Death on London's Brick Lane.

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The East Room and Sosho to close for 18 months following fire, says owner >>

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By Neil Gerrard

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