AN accidental fire at a popular rooftop bar in Belfast resulted in around £2.5 million of damage to the business, new accounts show.
The blaze on the roof of the Bullitt Hotel on Church Lane broke out in March 2022.
No one was injured in the fire, which destroyed the kitchen and plant room at the Babel venue.
The hotel is part of the Beannchor portfolio. Owned by well-known hospitality figure Bill Wosley the portfolio includes the Merchant Hotel and the Little Wing pizza chain.
New accounts for Bullitt Holding Limited reveal the company recorded an impairment charge of around £2.5m in connection with the fire damage.
As a result, Bullitt Holding Limited registered a £780,000 loss last year.
The rooftop venue later reopened in October 2022 as Tetto, following a £1m refit.
Commentary published with the accounts noted: “This unprecedented situation resulted in the inability to trade for approximately one quarter of the financial year.
“Subsequently the hotel has reopened with all capital and business interruption costs covered by insurance.”
Despite retaining the same ownership, the Bullitt Hotel operation is no longer reported as part of the wider Beannchor group following a ‘demerger’ in 2018.
The latest accounts for the remainder of the group, which were published on Thursday, show it doubled its profits last year.
Beannchor’s portfolio includes the Haslem hotel in Lisburn and some of Belfast’s best known pubs and restaurants, including The Dirty Onion, The Cloth Ear and The National.
The accounts show Beannchor’s turnover jumped by 151 per cent to £28m for the year ending June 2022.
Group profit before tax rose by 117 per cent from £2.9m to £6.3m.
