Chester’s newest bar lucks out with dewinter

dewinter delivers multi-channel launch campaign for Basement85, the new underground bar making its mark on Chester’s social scene.

Basement85 situated beneath Chester’s historic Watergate House and backed by Brunning & Price founder Jerry Brunning, is set in one of the city’s most characterful spaces. The bar brings a fresh, contemporary energy to Chester’s hospitality scene – drinks-led, atmosphere-first, and designed for the way people socialise today.

We were appointed to build early awareness, drive footfall, and create genuine pre-launch buzz. The dewinter team developed and delivered a coordinated, multi-channel campaign spanning branding, event management, PR, photography, social content and template designs, paid advertising, influencer and blogger outreach, email marketing and Google amplification.

The result was a launch that felt as good as the venue itself. Opening on Friday 13th March (unlucky for some but not us!), Basement85 welcomed over 80 guests on opening night — including local business owners and lifestyle bloggers — to a full venue and an immediate wave of local interest.

The numbers backed up the energy on the ground. During the launch period, the paid campaign reached over 95,000 local people and generated nearly 190,000 impressions, supported by secured coverage across key media titles.

Kate Cox, MD at dewinter:
“Our job was to make sure Chester knew about Basement85 before their doors opened, and that the right people were in the room when they did. A great brief, a distinctive space, and a client who trusted us to run with it — that’s the recipe for a launch that genuinely lands. We’re really proud of what the team delivered here.”

The campaign drew on dewinter’s broader experience working across hospitality, lifestyle, and B2B sectors, applying the same joined-up approach — strategy, creative, and execution.