Popworld and Felsons Bournemouth set for brand change soon

Two popular Bournemouth student venues will undergo a brand change as the host building has been put up for sale.  

Popworld and Felsons on Old Christchurch Road will be entirely rebranded after owners, Stonegate Group, recently put many of their venues up for sale, including some from the Popworld chain.  

Across the country, many Popworld venues have either closed or rebranded because of these sales, one of which being Popworld Bristol which has already reopened as ‘Rush’; an LGBTQ+ nightclub.  

Whilst a date is not yet confirmed for the sale, the venue will be temporarily closing its doors soon for refurbishments to open as new.  

It will have to undergo these changes as they will no longer be allowed to show Stonegate owned branding once they are sold.  

Maddie Dyer, deputy manager of Popworld and Felsons, said: “At first we were all very scared about what it would mean for us but now its clarified, we are still here and will be for a while so it’s very exciting.”   

Dyer said that the last change was “good fun as [they] were up and running for freshers” and that “the change this time may be very subtle or absolutely massive.” 

The popular venue has been open since September 2023, when it replaced the former Walkabout nightclub. 

Felicity Milne, duty manager at Popworld and Felsons, said: “It will take a lot of getting used to but I’m sure it will be for the better of the venue.  

“I’m a bit stressed about what could happen but there’s no point worrying about it when it’s not here yet.” 

Many of the staff live in apartments above the venue, so some are feeling worried about what it may mean for them once the venue transfer takes place.  

Madeline Low, a bartender at Popworld, said: “I’m really excited for the change and even though I haven’t worked here long, it’ll be fun to switch things up.”  

It has been confirmed that the staff will be keeping their jobs after the rebrand but will have to undergo additional training to learn new menu items and how the new venue will work.