Indigo grows to 10 pubs in Brighton
Brighton's Indigo Pub Company has taken on two new sites, growing its estate to 10 pubs in the seaside resort.
It recently bought the Punch lease of the George, a vegetarian pub, and invested in an £80,000 refurbishment. The pub reopened last Friday, under its original name, the Prince George.
It is also working on a massive redevelopment project of the Hobgoblin pub — landlord Punch Taverns has invested £500,000 to bring it up to date, while Indigo has put in a further £150,000.
The site was operated by Pubs 'n' Bars before it went into administration in December 2009.
Plans include creating a dedicated live-music venue, and building a large landscaped beer garden in the adjoining car park. The large site will have a full makeover and new kitchen and will open in mid-June.
Director Jon Wilson told the MA further expansion in Brighton was on the cards: "It's a good time to expand, and we are in a strong position to take advantage of any good sites that come on the market. We're looking for quality sites, both leasehold and freehold."
The Prince George has been "refurbished to match the bohemian look of the North Laine area", and has a new vegetarian menu. Wilson said there will now be a minimum of six local real ales, including Dark Star, Hepworths, and WJ King.
The group paid in excess of £700,000 for the freehold of the Star & Sailor last July. It bought the site from Punch, its landlords at the time. The pub was renamed the Temple Bar.
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