Hooters consortium announce plans to buy Royal Liver Building for £90m

APRIL FOOLS!

Liverpool’s historic Royal Liver Building is up for sale, for only the second time in its 111-year history, with a 2022 price tag of £90m, so the team behind the about-to-launch Hooters Liverpool have announced today that they are leading a consortium to purchase the building.

The Grade 1-listed property, which forms part of the city’s waterfront Three Graces, is a world-famous cultural landmark which is beloved and renowned not just in Liverpool itself, but around the globe.

The owner of Hooters Liverpool is a native of the city and is about to launch this major branch of one of America’s most established restaurant chains, with its location in Water Street’s prestigious New Zealand House, having already been granted licence approval for the business in February 2022.

Plans to launch as the city heads into summer are already afoot, bringing a welcoming, family-friendly restaurant to this busy area of the city, including all of the elements which have made it a huge success Stateside: great quality food, first-rate customer services, a fun atmosphere and of course, the legendary Hooters Hostesses.

To embed the brand within the heart of the waterfront, the Hooters-led proposal is to mount the famous Hooters owl, HOOTY, adjacent to the infamous Liver Birds, Bertie, who looks over the city and Bella, who watches over the sea. The proposed inclusion of HOOTY will see the 18-foot-tall owl stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the city’s most spectacular birds.

The team behind the proposal are insisting that the inclusion of HOOTY is a vital part of their bid: they have every intention to purchase the building, but HOOTY’s place atop this leading building has to be assured, amongst other factors being considered during the negotiations.

A spokeswoman for Hooters Liverpool explains:

“As the owner is from Liverpool, she really appreciates the value of the Royal Liver Building in every sense, and she is determined to see its ownership reside in the city once more.

Liverpool is such a cosmopolitan hub, with a rich cultural and social history, as well as its famous sense of humour. The Liver Birds guard this wonderful place, and figuratively help it to keep its head above water, even during the most troubled times. Having survived the blitz during World War II, they are also symbols of hope and freedom.

The owl is also a noble bird, and our HOOTY will happily sit alongside Bertie and Bella, providing an element of cheekiness to this historic waterfront, with a nod to New York city, a place which Liverpool is often compared to, which is home to one of the best Hooters branches in the world.

We are launching a bid to purchase the Royal Liver Building at the same time as we are preparing for our own business launch in Water Street, which is just a short walk away from the waterfront. 

We are looking forward to our venue being one where customers are at the forefront of everything we do, providing fruitful employment opportunities for our incoming staff, and a chance to prove that Hooters, as a brand, is far from any image that may be portrayed: once you enter our restaurant, you’ll be able to relax, enjoy our wonderful menu, be greeted and served by our exquisitely trained staff, and get a sense of the delightfully fun atmosphere which Hooters is known for.”

While the city prepares itself for an influx of tourists and guests ahead of next week’s Aintree Grand National 2022 meeting, the Liver Birds are part of the city’s famous welcoming committee.

Soon, the team at Hooters and their consortium bid are hoping that their own feathered representative, HOOTY, will be there to join them in their quest.

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