A venue in Wootton, situated close to Abingdon, will be ending its operations this weekend.

The Bystander, a Greene King establishment, will hold a closing event for customers on its final trading day this Saturday.

The occasion will include live music from contemporary folk act The Publicans, a six-piece ensemble, commencing at 9pm.

A Greene King representative announced that the Bystander site in Wootton, Abingdon, will stop trading on April 26 before being converted into a Hickory’s Smokehouse later in the year.

The workforce has been briefed regarding this encouraging new chapter for the premises, which is set to produce dozens of job openings for the local community.

The company values the support shown by patrons over the years and looks forward to inviting them to enjoy Hickory’s concept when it opens.

The site will become Oxfordshire’s first Hickory’s Smokehouse, serving Southern-style barbecue fare.

The fresh enterprise is expected to create roughly 100 employment opportunities.

John Welsh, Hickory’s managing director, said the company is excited to be arriving in Abingdon. This particular site had been something they had wanted for a while, and they are pleased to finally be establishing their inaugural smokehouse in the town.

Greene King has disclosed that 300 of its pubs are currently being reviewed, with 150 across the country potentially facing imminent shutdown or disposal.

Figures from The Telegraph show 1,103 pubs have closed, with recent figures displaying that 429 venues have shut during the current timeframe.