Multimillion-pound acquisition play drives record profits at McMullen
McMullen has reported record sales for the year to 27 September 2025, driven by £25m of acquisition investment over the past two years.
Managed Groups
Highest and lowest ranking pubcos unveiled
Admiral Taverns has been named as the most highly rated pubco in the Pubs Code Adjudicator’s (PCA) 2026 Tied Tenant Survey.
M&B to acquire small package of Whitbread sites
Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) is to acquire a seven-strong package of sites from Whitbread, which will be converted to either Miller & Carter or Toby Carvery.
Butcombe announces leadership restructure
Butcombe Group has announced strategic changes to its leadership structure, appointing Alice Bowyer as managing director of its managed division.
Heartwood: ‘We’ve got too much data’
Heartwood Collection IT director Rob Trippett has warned there’s a danger the amount of data available to hospitality operators right now can lead to businesses having too many KPIs.
Multiple operator to open ‘proper east end destination’ pub
The team behind London venues the Somerstown Coffee House, the Victoria and Faber is marking its 20th anniversary with a new site.
Incipio Group confirms June opening for four new concepts at Olympia
Incipio Group has confirmed it will open multiple new hospitality concepts at London’s Olympia development on 15 June, joining Des Gunewardena’s recently opened Pillar Hall.
JDW to open new university pub
Pub behemoth JD Wetherspoon (JDW) has confirmed its new pub at Birmingham University, Joe’s, will open later this month.
JDW hits back at Ryanair chief’s call for drink limit at airports
Pub behemoth JD Wetherspoon (JDW) has said a two-drink limit for passengers using airport hospitality venues would be “extraordinarily difficult to implement.
Heineken UK & Beavertown head office reshuffle
Heineken UK has announced a trio of changes to its on-trade senior leadership team and Beavertown Brewery.
Cost pressures hit EBITDA at Glendola Leisure
Glendola Leisure has said it is continuously trying to manage and mitigate the impact of cost pressures including high interest rates and inflation.
Pubs fall behind wider sector as cost pressures bite in Q1
Managed hospitality groups posted modest like-for-like growth in Q1 2026, but pubs lagged the market as high costs continued to overwhelm the sector.
Lane7 acquires Par 59
Lane7 Group has acquired fellow competitive socialising business Par 59 as it looks to grow its presence across the UK.
Albert’s Schloss Soho boosts Mission Mars EBITDA
Mission Mars, the operator of Albert’s Schloss and Rudy’s Pizza Napoletana, has reported group EBITDA growth of 46% in H1 FY26.
Young’s boss: Cubitt House sites align perfectly with expansion strategy
London and south-east-based pub company Young’s has agreed to acquire Cubitt House.
Easter bookings rise at Coaching Inn Group as accommodation operators shine
Like-for-like Easter bookings are up 6% at The Coaching Inn Group, demonstrating UK residents remain committed to staycations.
NEOS transitions two new sites to core concepts
NEOS Hospitality has confirmed plans to transition two new sites into its immersive bar brands.
Heartwood eyes £100m turnover with efficiency-led rooms strategy
Heartwood Collection is accelerating growth in its pubs-with-rooms operation to offset rising costs, with £40m capex planned and a £100m turnover target, CEO Richard Ferrier told The Morning Advertiser (The MA).
JDW to expand overseas operations
Pub behemoth JD Wetherspoon (JDW) is set to open two new airport pubs in Spain.
Inception to launch games parlour concept in the City
Inception Group is converting part of its Mr Fogg’s City Tavern into an experiential gaming site this spring.
Market Halls secures £11m in funding
Market Halls has secured £11m in funding from OakNorth to support the next phase of its national growth strategy, including the acquisition of additional sites.
RedCat explores investment options
RedCat, the operator founded by former Greene King CEO Rooney Anand, is exploring investment options, as it looks to capitalise on growing demand for its premium pubs-with-rooms business.
Brooke steps down at Amber Taverns
Mark Brooke has stepped down from his role as chief executive at Amber Taverns in a mutual agreement with the pubco.
Horsemen & Fitzgerald’s site to combine US and Irish styles
The City of London will be home to a new American-Irish pub and clubhouse shortly after Easter when the Horsemen & Fitzgerald’s opens its doors.
JDW reveals plans to open up to 35 pubs
Pub giant JD Wetherspoon (JDW) is looking to open around 15 managed pubs and 15 to 20 franchised pubs in the current financial year, it revealed in a recent trading update.
Strong trading for Shepherd Neame pubs offset by brewing decline
Shepherd Neame has reported £84.7m revenue for the 26 weeks ended 27 December 2025, a slight dip from £85m in H1 2025.
Tilray acquires BrewDog’s US assets
Tilray Brands has entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire certain strategic assets of BrewDog in the US.
Coaching Inn Group adds seven sites to estate
Coaching Inn Group has expanded its estate to 43 sites, with seven pubs transferred from RedCat Hospitality.
Butcombe steps up investment into London pubs
Butcombe Group has unveiled plans to ramp up investment into its London managed estate, describing the capital as a “hugely exciting market”.
Full list of BrewDog bars set to close
Some 38 BrewDog bars have closed today (Monday 2 March) with immediate effect following Tilray’s takeover of the brand.
Tilray completes £33m deal to acquire BrewDog
American pharmaceutical company and cannabis giant Tilray has completed a £33m deal to acquire the BrewDog brand and certain “strategic assets”.
US pharmaceutical company eyes BrewDog takeover
Tilray, a US pharmaceutical and cannabis giant, has emerged as a contender to take over BrewDog, industry sources told The Morning Advertiser (The MA).
Nightcap to transform site into ‘calm, considered and genuinely welcoming’ cocktail bar
Multiple operator Nightcap Group is set to transform an existing The Cocktail Club site into a standalone venue.
Unite plans protest against BrewDog over staff treatment amid sale
A demonstration has been planned outside a city centre BrewDog venue in response to the treatment of workers amid an ongoing sale process.
JDW to open third university pub
Pub behemoth JD Wetherspoon (JDW) is set to open a new site at The University of Surrey in Guildford.
PROPERTY ROUND-UP
PROPERTY: Savills brings Gladstone Arms freehold to market at £1.12m
This property round-up includes mentions from Admiral Taverns, Punch Pubs, Christie & Co, and more.
May opening for Flight Club, five international launches confirmed
Red Engine has confirmed it will open a new Flight Club site in the UK in May while its trade partners will open five sites across the world.
Sales up 8% at Butcombe Group
Butcombe Group has reported an 8% uptick in like-for-like sales across its managed estate.
McMullen’s: ‘Loss of business property relief was seismic game-changer’
While it had toyed with the idea of disposing of its leased and tenanted business in the past, the impact of the last two Budgets was the clincher for the pub and brewing business, MD Heydon Mizon told MCA.
Market Taverns appoints new MD
Market Taverns has announced changes to its senior leadership teams as part of its growth plans.
Hall & Woodhouse invests £2.5m into tenanted estate
Hall & Woodhouse (H&W) injected more than £2.5m into its tenanted Business Partner arm last year.
PROPERTY ROUND-UP
PROPERTY: Heartwood Inns opens The Woodman in Southgate
This property round-up includes mentions from Heartwood Inns, M&B, Star Pubs and more.
Urban Pubs & Bars accelerates expansion as strong trading fuels growth
Urban Pubs & Bars has accelerated its London expansion after a sustained period of strong trading across its 66 site estate, with the group completing 15 acquisitions in the past 12 months.
Tim Martin confirms succession planning as Wetherspoon’s tax bill tops £1m per pub
Sir Tim Martin has confirmed that succession planning is under way at JD Wetherspoon, signalling the first public acknowledgement that the founder is preparing for an eventual handover after more than four decades at the helm.
ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS: Has RedCat finally landed on its feet?
The Rooney Anand founded business is exiting its managed estate and bringing together its pubs-with-rooms sites into one division, a canny move that presents significant opportunities.
Inside Urban Pubs & Bars’ multi-million-pound investment push
Urban Pubs & Bars has accelerated its growth with a sustained seven-month programme of multi-million-pound investment, refurbishments and strategic acquisitions across its estate.
Butcombe creates chief experience role as leadership reshaped for next growth phase
Butcombe Group has announced two senior leadership changes as the business continues to push growth across its managed, tenanted and brewing divisions.
Butcombe COO urges Chancellor to recognise ‘extraordinary value’ of pubs
Butcombe Group’s chief operating officer Jayson Perfect has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to rethink how pubs are taxed and regulated, warning that current policy fails to reflect their economic, cultural and social importance.
NEOS Hospitality to open first dual-concept venue
NEOS Hospitality has revealed plans to open a new dual-concept venue in London’s West End this summer, following a multimillion-pound investment.
Potential buyer for TRC may have been put off, says insolvency expert
After reading over The Revel Collective’s financial figures, any potential purchaser of the business may have been put off buying it, according to an insolvency expert.