Nightclub group Deltic is planning an £8m investment despite fears of a crisis in the sector.
In the last 10 years, the number of nightclubs has fallen almost by half from over 3,000 venues to just over 1,700 today, but Deltic, which owns the Pryzm and Oceana brands, is to refurbish some of its 59 clubs.
Private-investors backed Deltic rose out of the ashes of Luminar, the publicly quoted leisure group that had to be rescued from administration in 2011.
The firm's most recent development is its wet led brand called Bar & Beyond, which opened in Chelmsford last year and has been extended to Stevenage, with a third scheduled to open in Sheffield.
Finance director Russell Margerrison said, 'This latest round of investment demonstrates that the late-night economy in the UK is healthy.