A CITY CENTRE pub in Chester has announced its closure, citing “inflationary costs”.

The Henry Potts, located on Watergate Street, said today (Thursday, July 4) via social media that electricity bills and other costs had meant that the business was no longer financially viable.

The pub is part of Jerry Brunning's Pubs Ltd group, which has four other locations including The Black Bear in Whitchurch, The Druid Inn in Gorsedd, The Hare in Farndon and The Swan in Marbury.

Mr Brunning said that the impact of the rising costs and difficult economic environment would have been manageable if the centre of Chester was busier, however with more people than ever choosing to work from home, the Henry Potts was “simply not doing enough trade.”

Mr Brunning said: “It is with great sadness and not a little irritation that we announce the closure of the Henry Potts.

“It’s a beautiful pub, like a cosy little underground hideaway with excellent staff and the best quality food and drink. However it’s simply not doing enough trade. If you saw the number they’d look like a lot, but in today’s economic environment, the ridiculous electricity bills and a host of other inflationary costs, it needs to be busier to be viable.

“So we must close. We’d like to say a huge thank you to the pub’s hardworking team. They’ve made us very proud and we are doing what we can to keep and relocate those who want to.

“I think we’d easily have been able to make it if more people were in their offices and keen for lunch and early evening refreshment, but most seem to be working from home. The commercial heart of Chester is a bit of a ghost town.

“We’re not getting rid of it just yet, we have offered it for sale but no bites, so we are going to mothball it for the foreseeable future and see if things improve. It’s such a shame. We’ll keep you informed of any change.

“If you have enjoyed The Potts then thank you, and sorry to be bearer of bad news. You’ll be pleased to hear that our other four pubs are thriving, so why not go to one of those instead. A nice thing to do if you’re WFH (there’s an irony).”

Several people expressed their sadness at the announcement, with the post being widely shared.

West Cheshire CAMRA reacted to the news, saying: “Such a shame to read this on Facebook. Lovely pub but changes to workplace drinking culture etc (and maybe the psychological Nicholas Street barrier) means another closure. Best wishes to all concerned.”