Christopher Carline argues his new venue is “Liverpool’s premium late-night location”
Bill Shankly’s grandson ,Christopher Shankly Carline, in the first completed bedroom at the 83-bedroom £20million development on Victoria Street.(Image: )
Bill Shankly’s grandson has taken over a Liverpool city centre venue, weeks after making an explosive statement online. Victoria Street’s Zenn, has been bought by Christopher Carline and business partner and co-owner Paul Egan.
The brand originally opened in early July 2022. The 350-seat venue, which features a restaurant, bar, and rooftop, held its initial soft openings and corporate events around that time, focusing on Asian-inspired cuisine and a sophisticated atmosphere.
Fast forward to now, and Christopher and Paul have kept all staff members on as they prepare to move forward with a new chapter. They said while it’s business as usual for now with its offerings, they do plan to make the venue “even better” with a new a la carte menu being created.
Christopher said: “We like what it does, and it does it well. That’s why we bought it. It’s a plush, premium brand. But with any venue, you can always see gaps and ways to do things even better. We want to maintain what it offers already and drive it forward.
“You will see gradual and subtle changes right from the off. We have refined some of the back of house practices and are now working with the fantastic senior team on site to develop and enhance the products and service we provide. We have met and set quarterly plans and targets and are now in the middle of pulling this all together and bringing it to market.”
Zenn is located on the former Victoria Street car park site.(Image: Press Handout)
Christopher, grandson of Liverpool football legend Bill Shankly, is no stranger to the hospitality industry. He is co-owner of the White Star Line Hotel which he bought and launched with Brian Gamble in summer 2025, and was key in the creation of The Shankly Hotel, also on Victoria Street.
The ECHO previously reported how Christopher released an explosive statement after revealing he is no longer involved with the Liverpool hotel that bears his legendary grandad’s name – and is now locked in a legal battle over the site’s future.
Christopher was involved in the launch of The Shankly Hotel in Victoria Street in 2015. The hotel – themed around Shankly’s glittering career and full of memorabilia – was initially operated by Liverpool developers and hotel company Signature Living, with Mr Carline a director.
The Shankly Hotel on Victoria Road, city centre. (Image: Liverpool Echo)
But issues later emerged, and the hotel company went into administration in 2020 amid the wider collapse of its parent organisation, Signature Group. The ECHO reported at the time that consulting firm Kroll was handling the administration.
The hotel, based in the former city council offices, Millennium House, has continued to trade under the administrators in recent years, with a view to it being sold. A recent progress report said the period of administration had been legally extended until April 2026. The report said that the sale of the hotel remains ongoing and is dependent upon an agreement being reached with various investor groups.
In his statement on social media, Mr Carline said that on behalf of the Shankly name, he was asked to work with the administrator to continue to run the hotel pending an eventual sale or rescue.
He said: “Leading up to this myself and my family had become increasingly concerned over how the business was being run and its association with the Shankly name, so we were hopeful that the new regime would be a positive step for the business.
Bill Shankly, the former legendary Liverpool manager(Image: )
“Unfortunately, in my opinion; this did not turn out to be the case, and our concerns surrounding the business only increased, which I raised various times over the past three years.”
Mr Carline claimed that as a result of raising these concerns, he was “isolated” from the business and states he left the business in October. He added: “In my view, I have been forcibly pushed out of the business due to concerns raised.”
Speaking about where he is now, a month on from the online statement, Christopher added: “When I was at The Shankly, we were forever being asked by guests where they could go for a great night out, and we frequently said Zenn.
“It’s already right up there as Liverpool’s premium late-night location; it’s already part of the conversation – and we want to make it the definitive answer to the question.
“There’s a nostalgic element too for someone born and bred in the city. I can remember sitting in the classroom at West Derby Comp and looking out at the Liverpool skyline with St Johns Beacon and the cathedrals, and being so proud to be from this city, and desperate to get involved.
“To be able to say I co-own the city’s premier restaurant and bar is a huge thing for me, that’s why I’m passionate about driving it forward.”