Team behind Preston's popular NIKO wine bar planning to open in Lytham

Nikola Salipur established NIKO, on Guildhall Street, Preston, as a bar that offers both exotic wines and craft beers, after coming to live in the city from Serbian capital Belrade six years ago.

In addition to setting up the bar, which is aimed at trying to change the way people approach wine, Nikola is also the biggest importer of Serbian wine in the UK.

His TikTok series, called ‘Fine dining for f*** all’ , offers tips on enjoying good food and wine on a budget..

Now there are plans to open a second bar, in Lytham town centre.

An application has been submitted to Fylde Council for the change of use of the ground floor of an existing commercial premises at 12 Park Street, to a wine bar/wine merchants. The premises were previously occupied by Heir Salon, an award-winning hair salon which has now relocated to Wrea Green.

The application is currently under consideration by the planning officer at Fylde.

Nikola said about the NIKO operation last year: “Right now we work with 11 wineries and we are the biggest importer of Serbian wine in the UK.

“It’s definitely our unique selling point as you get people coming in wanting to taste something they have never tried before or people who didn't even know that Serbia produced wine.”

The Tik Tok series sets NIKO apart from other wine bars as not only is it trying to establish a social media presence, yet it is trying to make wine more accessible to those who may not be knowledgeable when it comes to the drink.

Nikola, who says Serbia had a long history of wine making, said: “One day we were thinking of creative ways to promote Serbian wines and we just decided to spend a fiver on some tinned fish and bread and stick it on TikTok.

“It was very off the cuff but once we realised we could start telling people what wines pair with what foods we realised it would be good to put on social media.

“We want people to realise you don’t need to spend loads of money to have a fine dining experience paired with a good wine!”

The applicants are seeking full planning permission for the project.