Everards extends Project William pubs
Brewery Everards has bought three new pubs under its Project William banner — which allows the tie to be relaxed on cask ale.
The Crown Inn at Beeston, Nottinghamshire, the Rose and Crown in Brampton near Chesterfield and the Old Fighting Cocks in Oakengates, Telford, have been purchased by the Leicestershire brewery to be run by local real ale experts on special partially tied tenancy agreements.
The Crown was bought from Greene King and has since been refurbished and let to father and son team Dave and Oliver Brown, who have been successfully running another Project William pub, the Chesterfield Arms, for just over 12 months.
Formerly owned by Punch Taverns, the Rose & Crown has also undergone refurbishment and been let to local microbrewer Brampton Brewery.
The Old Fighting Cocks was a freehouse which closed 18 months ago and will be given a new lease of life when Everards refurbishes it in partnership with local brewer Ironbridge run by David Goldingay. The business is expected to reopen in late spring 2010.
Project William is a scheme pioneered by Everards in 2007 whereby the company teams up with local breweries and publicans to transform struggling or closed pub businesses into thriving ale houses. There are 13 Project William sites currently operating in the UK.
The agreement means Everards relaxes its tie on cask conditioned ales. The project is particularly welcomed by smaller independent breweries as it gives their ales a straightforward route to market.
Stephen Gould, managing director of Everards, said: "These three sites have tremendous potential to become profitable ale houses, capitalising on the current resurgence in popularity of traditional, handcrafted beer and providing tremendous scope for growth for both Everards and the local partner brewer."
