Urban & Country Leisure set for 12 pubs
Urban & Country Leisure, the managed multiple run by Ross Saunders and Dan Shotton, has reopened the Greyhound in Finchampstead, Berkshire, after an £800,000 refurbishment.
The company has two more openings on the way — one near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, which is called Moretons, but will re-open as the Greedy Goose at the end of September, and a Greene King site, the Coach & Horses in Newbury.
The two sites in the pipeline will bring the estate to 12 venues in total.
The Greyhound is a free-of-tie lease that was formerly a Brewers Fayre sold to Mitchells & Butlers in 2006, as part of the deal that involved 239 pubs.
M&B sold the pub to Massive Pub Company and it had been closed for 18 months before the refurbishment.
Urban & Country Leisure has extended the pub and introduced a number of retail innovations, including an oyster counter on the bar, an open kitchen and a rotisserie. The Greyhound is already taking £30,000 per week net of VAT and turn-over is still climbing.
The company also operates seven other former Massive Pub Company venues — two Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprise leases and five free-of-tie leases.
Its two other pubs are Enterprise's White Horse in Harpenden, the pub that was formerly linked to celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, and the Emperor in Farnham Royal, Slough.
Shotton is a former M&B marketing executive who has also worked at Whitbread and Regent Inns. His business partner started his career working behind the bar at a Paul Salisbury pub before joining Luminar opening Chicago Rock Cafes. Saunders also helped develop the Jam House concept, in association with musician Jools Holland, which was later sold to Lu-minar — and worked in Spirit's brand incubation department, Devco.
Urban & Country spent a year running the whole of the Massive estate on behalf of private equity firm Bridgehouse Capital, after Massive went into administration.
The majority of the estate was returned to administrator after Bridgehouse had selected the best sites.
