Grand Union Group acquires ninth site

London-based company the Grand Union Group has acquired its ninth site with the purchase of the leasehold of Young's pub, the Queen's Arms in Kilburn.

The pub will be renamed the Grand Union to fit in with the branding of the other eight sites.

The company, which was founded in 2006 by friends Adam Marshall and Adam Saword, has doubled in size in the last six months with turnover increasing annually by 153 per cent to £9.2m. It plans to open a further venue by the end of 2009 taking the estate to 10.

All sites are leasehold and are branded, high-end pubs.

Managing director Adam Marshall said: "We are certainly not recession proof, but have maintained a healthy pre-tax profit for the first two quarters of 2009.

We are bucking the trend in the pub market and are looking for new sites in key locations in the capital to realise our expansion objectives for 2010.

We are excited to have agreed a deal with Young's for our ninth Grand Union in Kilburn, North London. It's an excellent site in a fantastic location and will open at the end of this year after an extensive refurbishment".

Grand Union currently has pubs in Brixton, Camden, Kentish Town, Islington, Kennington, Ravenscourt Park, Twickenham and Stoke Hammond in Milton Keynes.

The company has plans to open a further five restaurant-concept pubs in the home counties over the next four years and 12 bar and grill style venues in London by 2012 before taking the brand nationally.

Currently it is interested in acquiring further sites in areas including Covent Garden, Nottinghill, Crouch End, Chelsea, Richmond, Shoreditch, Soho, Wimbledon and Trafalgar Square.