Two businessmen from Leicester have partnered together to launch an après ski themed bar.
Alex Salter, of Homme and Co, in the High Street, and Ercan Dogan, of Café Bruxelles, have joined together to launch Après Lounge, which will be located in the former space of a fancy dress shop in the High Street.
The new late-night bar, which will be open from Thursdays to Saturdays, will have a capacity of 120 people.
It will open on Saturday, and will lead to nine part-time, casual jobs being created.
Alex said: "Ercan approached me and said he wanted to do something with the spot and I proposed having an après ski-themed bar as it would be something different on the High Street.
"A lot of my friends go on skiing holidays, and the first thing they look for are the good après ski bars.
"Après Lounge is going to be a premium bar in terms of the offers and the stock, and there will be different themes throughout the year to tie in with the season.
"In the winter, we will have things like frozen glasses, and in the summer, it will be a place where people can cool down."
Alex, Ercan and Tristan Duff, who has recently joined the team, are hoping the bar will help to boost the popularity of the High Street.
Alex said: "We wanted to bring something different to High Street, and so far, the reaction has been really good.
"The location is great, and we are really trying to push for the High Street to become known as the Royal Quarter."
It follows the news that high-end Leicester jewellers Lumbers will be relocating from its current spot in Market Street to the High Street next August.
Dominic Gomersall, managing director of Lumbers, said that the firm had decided to move because it would be "more secure" to be closer to the Highcross than the retailers in Market Street.
Coffee shop chain Coffee Republic is also set to return to Leicester on the High Street, near outdoor clothes shop Blacks, on Thursday.
It closed down earlier this year in Granby Street, and has since been replaced by Brü Coffee and Gelato.
Coffee Republic has already hired eight members of staff.
Richard Shakespeare, head of franchise at Coffee Republic, said: ''We are pleased to welcome this team to the Coffee Republic franchise estate."
