Preston has a new night time bar and venue. Popworld, which will open on the former Reflex site on Church Street, will open its doors to the public on Friday 13th September following a £200,000 investment and the creation of 15 new jobs.

Owned and operated by the Stonegate Pub Company, Popworld will open with a whole host of special celebrations on Friday 13th September following a special guest appearance from former Westlife member Bryan McFadden who is currently appearing in ITV’s Stepping Out.

The transformation from Reflex to Popworld will see the introduction of a state-of-the art sound and lighting system including an awe-inspiring LED screen that will flood the dance floor with light; and three new VIP booths which can be pre-booked to give an exclusive feel to a night out and come complete with waitress service to ensure that customers never have to queue at the bar for a drink.

The bar also opens with a brand new cocktail menu which gives customers the choice of not only which drink they fancy but how it should be served – in a glass, a partini, a top hat or even a disco ball! The cocktails, or Poptails as they are known at Popworld vary in theme from the classic range featuring the likes of ‘Sex on a Beach’ to retro, ‘Dandelion and Burdock’ or ‘American Cream Soda’, to sweet poptails such as ‘Toffee Apple’ or ‘Love Hearts’. There is a whole new range of bombs, shots and ‘poptarts’ too, Popworlds mini cocktails with delicious names such as ‘Chocolate Fudge Cake’ and ‘Jammy Doughnut’. Popworld will be open six days a week, Tuesday to Sunday.

Speaking about the bringing Popworld to Preston, general manager, Tony Mercer said: “Preston is a small city with a great personality that likes to party and so I’m confident that Popworld will be a huge success with the residents and visitors to the city. I love Preston and began my career here, so it’s great for me to launch Popworld to the people of Preston. The idea behind Popworld is that it offers fantastic customer service; a great range of drinks from sharing cocktails, which we call Partini’s, to premium bottle serves for large groups of friends. The music is of course the highlight. Reflex was known for playing party hits from a certain era but Popworld plays them from a range of decades, so it’s essentially an evolution of party style. The only rule about the music on our playlist is that it must get you up on the dance floor!

“Whilst the site has been closed for the investment, the team and I have been undergoing training on all of the new elements of service. Customer service is at the heart of our offer and we want people to come and have a great night knowing that our great team will look after them.

“The whole Popworld experience is all about making sure our customers have a memorable night and want to return time after time. One of our team members summed up Popworld perfectly. They said it’s like being at a wedding party but without the wedding. You can dance like no one is watching, sing your heart out and everyone feels relaxed and safe. We can’t wait to show off Popworld and look forward to the venue becoming the place to visit in Preston.”