Indigo Leisure buys Punch freehold

Brighton-based Indigo Leisure has bought the freehold of one of its Punch pubs.

Barclays Commercial Bank provided funding of £700,000 for the purchase for the Star & Sailor.

Jon Wilson and Chris Bloomfield, directors of Indigo Leisure, started the firm in 1999 and run a further seven pubs across Brighton and Hove, including the Wick Inn, the Hanover and the Queens Head.

They had been interested in buying the pub's freehold for some time, and had to move quickly against competition from several other interested parties.

Bloomfield said: "'We are extremely pleased to have been able to purchase the freehold of the Star & Sailor. The opportunity to acquire a freehold in such a prominent location in Brighton doesn't come along very often and we look forward to working with Barclays Commercial Bank on future purchases within the city as part of our long term strategy."

Tony Forster, relationship director at Barclays Crawley and South Coast team, said: "This was a marvelous opportunity for Indigo Leisure to cement their position as a leading pub group in Brighton and Hove."