Melbourne’s Match Bar strikes out

By Sacha Delfosse

Melbourne's Match Bar & Grill will be closing its doors this Saturday due to the business not being able to trade out of debts accumulated since opening in 2008.

On Thursday the owners received a letter demanding payment of outstanding debts that they could not afford to pay and the decision was made to dissolve the company and put it in the hands of liquidators.

"It was literally announced on a legal level 24 hours ago," Match Bar & Grill bar manager, Russ McFadden, told TheShout.

"When we first opened we were incredibly busy and the second year the GFC hit… because we were part of a UK company it affected us quite badly.

"We have been struggling to trade out of our initial opening costs as it was such an expensive venue to set up in the first place.  It was literally a shell when we took over and was an expensive venture to set up and we have not been able to trade out of it."

Although the venue is owned by the UK-based Rushmore Group, it is an entirely different trading entity, McFadden said. The UK side of the business is not suffering the same financial struggles.

"The Rushmore Group is actually opening a new venue in Soho, a multi-story members unit, so they are going to continue on but unfortunately Match in Melbourne as an entity will be no more."

While the liquidators have said that there is currently no-one showing interest in taking over the site, McFadden said industry contacts suggested to him that the place will be bought by someone who will continue to operate the business as a bar.

"Saturday is going to be our last day of trade. We are inviting anyone from hospitality that wants to come down a little later on to come and say goodbye," he said.

"We have $15,000 worth of stock on site and obviously we don't want to take it with us."