Sneakers & Jeans offers vibrant new fit

Sneakers & Jeans Hospitality Group prides itself on delivering unique, high-quality experiences in the city.

Varnish on King was arguably Perth’s first American whiskey bar.

Caballitos was the first late-night Mexican-inspired tequila bar.

Hadiqa introduced a Middle Eastern-influenced rooftop bar experience.

And on May 19, Sneakers & Jeans expanded its portfolio to include a vibrant South American-inspired bar and restaurant at the group’s former Flour Factory gin joint and restaurant, which closed after eight years in business.

Sneakers & Jeans founder and owner Andy Freeman said Flour Factory was in dire need of revitalisation, resulting in its complete replacement.

The two-storey venue has been transformed into a bar called ARARA with an adjoining restaurant called Tupí.

“The hospitality industry has an ebb and flow of venues and we’ve got nine brands in our portfolio now,” Mr Freeman told Business News.

“Varnish is our oldest brand at 10 years of age, and it’s quite an enduring brand so it could be here until its 20 or 30 years old.

“It’s just one of those timeless classics; it gets better with age.”

The Flour Factory, on the other hand, had struggled to maintain its momentum.

“It was impacted quite hard during the pandemic as the whole top floor was designated as a function centre,” Mr Freeman said.

“Corporates weren’t spending, the CBD was very quiet and coming to the end of 2022, November wasn’t what it should’ve been collectively for the CBD.”

Despite the November lull, he said December turned out to be busy, with the city experiencing an uptick in visitors.

Projecting further growth into the summer season, Mr Freeman spoke with Sneakers & Jeans general manager Lachlan Howarth about the fate of Flour Factory.

“We had to make a commercial decision because the work versus return was extremely unbalanced,” Mr Freeman said.

“We spoke to a chef of ours who’s now head chef at Tupí, and he and his wife are from Brazil and needed visas to stay in Australia.

“We decided to go South American.

"No-one was really doing a South American-influenced venue in the city, and we wanted a brand and concept that was bold and striking so when you walk back into the ever-popular Flour Factory building you’re slapped in the face with its renewed energy.”

‘Arara’ is the Brazilian word for a macaw, which Mr Freeman said inspired the bar’s theme.

“As a bird they’re noisy, cheeky, colourful, playful and a lot of those qualities we wanted to associate this venue with,” he said.

Mr Freeman told Business News the response had been pleasing thus far, particularly in terms of bookings at Tupí.

“We think we’ve connected to the community, reaching out to South American cultures residing here in WA,” he said.

“Yes, eight and a half years in hospitality is a long time for a brand, but Flour Factory was at the end of its life cycle.”

ARARA is a South American-inspired bar with an adjoining restaurant called Tupí. Photo: David Henry

CBD vibrancy

In June 2022, Mr Freeman discussed his experiences in hospitality at an event hosted by the Property Council of Australia WA Division.

He told the forum that businesses like his couldn’t carry the burden of cultivating a night-time economy in Perth’s CBD, and suggested local government had a part to play in restoring the city’s vibrancy.

Mr Freeman reiterated those remarks recently in conversation with Business News, adding that the City of Perth should be doing more than it was. 

“I’ve always been a pretty big flag-bearer for the CBD, but I can only do so much,” Mr Freeman said.

“I’m outspoken about it, but [Sneakers & Jeans] has many millions of dollars invested in the city. I’ve got a duty of care, I pay my rates and I’d love to see the city succeed.”

Mr Freeman said attracting more visitors into the city for Monday to Wednesday trade would improve Perth’s vibrancy.

Increased housing was a strategy he said would boost opportunities to nurture a better night-time economy.

“Vertical density, more apartment living and getting that population up in the city gives hospitality more of a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday trade,” Mr Freeman said.

“We don’t trade on Sundays, which I think is a shame, whereas in London, Paris and New York, every night is a Saturday night.

“We don’t want people to go crazy, but we want people to be able to pop in, grab a main and a wine and toddle off home; that would be amazing.”

Mr Freeman also confirmed Sneakers & Jeans was looking elsewhere for future ventures and that the ARARA renovation was its final project in the heart of Perth.

Reflecting on the impacts of the pandemic, Mr Freeman said three years felt much longer for the hospitality industry.

His primary objective during that time was the survival of the business, because without Sneakers & Jeans a decade’s worth of work would be lost along with the jobs of everyone involved.

“We weathered the pandemic; it hurt, and it costs us an excruciating amount of money and was such a waste to have nothing to show for other than survival,” Mr Freeman said.

“The next three months is winter, which is always a bit patchy, but we are seeing that corporates are investing in culture, which really got dented during COVID, so we’re hopeful there’s more to come.

“The last three years were turbulent, but I think today’s a good day and its okay, we’re okay.

“Today everything feels a bit rosier.”

Mr Freeman said businesses needed to monitor their cost increases nearly constantly to ensure they didn’t set themselves up for failure.

“It’s hard in our industry, you must be quick with decision making,” he said.

“These things are actually happening. We’re actioning change today to be ready for tomorrow.

“We think ahead like that as a business and some others don’t, and that’s a bit precarious for them.”

Andy Freeman said Sneakers & Jeans is actioning change today to be ready for tomorrow. Photo: David Henry

Mental health

In 2020, Sneakers & Jeans won Employer of the Year at the Business News RISE Awards, with part of that success attributed to the company’s commitment to the mental health and general wellbeing of its employees.

Prior to the global pandemic, Sneakers & Jeans launched a wellness program for staff, which continues to run today.

“Our industry is notorious for late nights and social engagements after work continuing into early hours of the next day,” Mr Freeman said.

“We wanted to offer our staff other options to the habits they’re forming vicariously through our industry, which can be a slippery slope.”

Every six to eight weeks, Sneakers & Jeans coordinates an event for all employees across its venues to gather for surfing lessons, boxing, bushwalks, kayaking or meditation.

“It’s about potentially introducing our staff to something they might not have done before [that] they might end up loving, and hopefully it gets them out of bed in the morning to do that thing,” Mr Freeman said.

“This whole mental health thing didn’t [previously] exist in such a public space, but people are really open to talking about this sort of thing now, which is fantastic.”

During a pandemic punctuated by lockdowns, Sneakers & Jeans encouraged its staff to stay connected by sending weekly newsletters to its team.

Each newsletter contained suggestions of shows to watch on Netflix, good meals to cook and updates on the Sneakers & Jeans business.

“We’d invite our staff into the city three mornings a week for a fitness class or a walk to Kings Park to stay connected,” Mr Freeman said.

He said the business would be investing in its people, culture and connection during the next 12 to 18 months.

“Industry trends come and go,” Mr Freeman said.

“People drink when they’re celebrating or when they’re mourning, so there’s always an occasion whether it’s a happy or sad one, people still gather and appreciate hospitality and it’ll always have its place in community and for connection.”