North-east-based bar, hotel and nightclub owner Ultimate Leisure is planning to go national. The group says it will use its Prohibition brand, bought from Living Ventures for £2.75m last year, to expand across the country.

Company chairman Mark Jones said: "We plan to transform Ultimate into a national company and Prohibition will be the brand we use to do so. It gives us a strong food offering and is female-friendly." Prohibition already has sites in Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, with a fourth outlet scheduled to open in Nottingham this week.

Jones said the group was already in advanced negotiations for a further four sites, although he admitted the company's ongoing restructure could see it dispose of a similar number of properties.