Ogier Leman’s Real Estate and Dispute Resolution teams collaborate in an application for VR entertainment brand Sandbox

The virtual reality experience brand's new venue will be the first in Ireland to feature a robot bartender

VR entertainment brand Sandbox will occupy two bottom level units within the Grafton Place development, a new seven-storey retail and office block located on the corner of Dawson Street and Nassau Street in Dublin.

The team was led by Andrew Nagle, Partner, Real Estate, and Elaine White, Partner, Dispute Resolution, with contributions from Niamh Monahan, Associate, Dispute Resolution. "Our team is proud to have provided a suite of different services in supporting the arrival of Sandbox VR in Dublin," said Andrew.

"In a city starved of quality operators in the leisure and recreational space, it was a pleasure to have acted on the negotiations of this commercial lease," he added.

Elaine White, as a partner in Dispute Resolution and liquor licensing specialist, is delighted to be involved in such an unusual application, saying: "Sandbox VR is a real addition to the entertainment scene in Dublin. The licensing application, which uniquely features a robot bartender, is a novel and exciting challenge to work on."

Sandbox, operates in 40 cities worldwide, and its planned Irish outlet will have capacity for 120 customers. It will be the company’s fourth European opening. Established in 2016 in Hong Kong, the brand's early investors include celebrities such as Justin Timberlake and Katy Perry.

A planning report submitted in support of the change of use by planning consultants Declan Brassil & Co described Sandbox as a global leader in location-based virtual reality entertainment, and that the proposed venue was “unique in Ireland and will enhance the mix of uses in the completed building and the diversity and attractiveness of the leisure and recreation offering in the wider city centre during day and night”.