Batemans opens first managed pub the Bell Inn near Skegness

Batemans, the Lincolnshire brewer and pub operator, has opened its first managed pub and is looking to run more sites on a managed basis in the future, M&C Report has learnt.

The 62-strong company has converted its Bell Inn pub at Burgh-le-Marsh, near Skegness, into a managed house.

“It’s because we can have complete control of the standards,” Batemans’ managing director Stuart Bateman told M&C Report. “This is a pub that has got a function room and a restaurant. We just wanted to be absolutely certain that the business is being maximised.”

More managed pubs could be added to the estate, “possibly through transfers or possibly through acquisitions”.

“We’ve looked at some sites that should be managed houses,” Bateman said. “If there’s a pub on the market we think should be managed we can put the infrastructure in place straight away rather than putting in place a tenant.”

Bateman said more tenants are opting for open-book accounting, whereby the pub company sees the tenant’s accounts so they can act swiftly if problems arise. About 15 pubs are using it so far. “We want 20 by the end of the year,” said Bateman.