Management firm doubles turnover as pub failures increase

A company, set up in 2007, that helps tenanted pub companies keep pubs open is set to double turnover to £17m as pub failure rates increase.

Publicana Limited is a pub management services company which specialises in taking over venues which lack a tenant or have been hit by insolvency, and making them profitable again for their ultimate owners. It has grown from turning over £7 million in the first year to a predicted turnover of £17-18 million this year together with increased profits.

Currently, the company nationally manages in excess of 130 pubs, on contracts ranging from a minimum of six weeks to some which have been on its books for more than a year.

The company has also developed bespoke software which allows for transparent accounting procedures when reporting back to its clients such as Marston's, Punch, Enterprise and Greene King about each and every pub that it manages - one of the company's main unique selling points. The company has moved into new office premises in Cleveleys, near Blackpool as it copes with rapid expansion. The company employs 20 full time staff, with a pool of more than 450 across the country to call on as and when required.

David Morse, managing director, added: "Business to date has been phenomenal. Independent pub management is a real growth sector at the moment, and to have developed from a smaller operator to a national company in less than two years is simply fantastic work.

James Allison, corporate & commercial partner at Napthens, is lead advisor to the company. He said: "Unfortunately, many in the licensed trade are suffering as a result of the recession, and large pub companies, who are anxious to keep venues up and running, are turning to management companies like Publicana which move in and turn the businesses around, saving jobs in the process."