A Southampton pub has been leased to new management with a novel approach to music.

The Tap Room in Carlton Place is to be taken over by husband and wife team Paul and Sonya Mason, who run the successful Shuffle Bar & Kitchen in Brighton.

Paul said: “We had been searching for our second site for 18 months. We had previously identified Southampton and, in particular, the Bedford Place area as a great pitch on a well known circuit, so we were delighted when Savills told us about the site.

"We are bringing with us a unique type of drinking experience where our guests have full control of the music by accessing our bespoke digital jukebox via their mobile devices. They are able to choose from over 2,000 tracks, spanning 50 years of music, not to mention a cocktail menu of over 120 drinks.

"Our Brighton guests absolutely love it and we can’t wait to get Southampton shuffling!”

The couple say they have plans to acquire a further site in 2017, followed by two more next year in university towns such as Guildford, Reading, Portsmouth, Winchester, Exeter and suburbs of South London.

The pub is set to be relaunched under its new name in mid-march

Agents Savills, acting on behalf of a private landlord, let the pub on new free-of-tie lease.

The Grade II listed property, which was fully refurbished in 2014, features 1,260 sq ft (117 sq m) of ground floor trading space with private accommodation above, as well as an external courtyard.

The pub, formerly The Pensioners, has a 1am sale of alcohol license on Fridays and Saturdays.

Chris Bickle, licensed leisure director at Savills, comments: “Southampton’s profile as a leisure destination has grown in the last few years, particularly with the opening of major new developments including Westquay Watermark and Southampton Arts Complex.

"The Tap Room is located in one of the established alternative circuits which has benefited from several new openings in recent months, including Brewdog and City Pub Co’s London Road Brewhouse.”