Five Minutes With… STACK CEO Neill Winch
We talk to the man behind STACK to find out about their latest venue in Worswick Chambers
In case you haven’t heard the hype, locally-based leisure company STACK is set to open a second venue in Newcastle following the launch of their fan zone at St James’ Park over the summer.
Located in the Grade-II listed Worswick Chambers, just a short walk from the original STACK venue that opened on Pilgrim Street back in 2018, the all-new STACK Newcastle will boast multiple bars, a roof terrace, an outdoor courtyard and – of course – plenty of delicious street food and excellent entertainment.
Ahead of its opening next year, we were lucky enough to be invited along for a sneak peek of the venue and a chat with STACK CEO Neill Winch to find out how things are progressing with this epic new venture.
Pilgrim Street was the home of the original STACK. How does it feel to be returning to where it all began?
It’s pretty amazing. Pilgrim Street was a big success and to have to take it away was very sad for me and other people too, I’m sure. To get the opportunity to move further down the street and do what we’ve created here with the same landlord is amazing. We’re very excited.
What attracted you to Worswick Chambers as a location for STACK Newcastle?
A good feeling! The site was in a bad state of repair but when we looked at our architect’s designs and our landlord’s architect’s designs, it became quite clear that this would be a great site. It has a great connection to other leisure venues too. The original Pilgrim Street STACK was a little bit out of the way but this site is much closer to where most of the nighttime economy is.
How has the build been going so far? Has it been challenging working with a Grade-II listed building?
We haven’t had that many challenges as we put together a design that we knew we could work with. I think the real challenge has been for the landlord to try and bring the building back to its former glory because it was in a really bad state but they’ve done an amazing job.
It’s taken a long time – a lot longer than we thought – but it’s now been handed over to us and we’re getting ready in the next three to four weeks to hopefully start our fit-out.
You recently opened a STACK venue at the iconic St James’ Park. How does that venue differ from STACK Newcastle?
The STACK at St James’ Park is a fan zone. It has entertainment, but it very much has a sports feel to it. I wouldn’t say they have very different offerings, but there is a point of difference – this STACK is much more about entertainment as opposed to sport.
What kind of food traders can people expect at this STACK?
We don’t have any food traders locked in just yet but we’ll be going out very soon to try and get some on board because our opening date will be here before you know it.
On that note, when will STACK Newcastle be open to the public?
We’re hoping for March or April next year. The lion’s share of the heavy lifting has been done by the landlord so effectively all that’s left for us to do is a fit-out.
We couldn’t be more excited about STACK Newcastle and judging from what we saw during our visit, it’s going to be an epic venue. Roll on spring 2025!
STACK Newcastle is located in Worswick Chambers on Pilgrim Street and is set to open in early 2025. For more information and updates visit www.stackleisure.com/locations/newcastle.
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