MA300: Leeds Brewery looks to grow pub estate

Leeds Brewery is looking to expand its pub estate more rapidly over the coming years.

The brewery, which was founded in 2007 by Moss and business partner Michael Brothwell, has just opened its sixth pub in Leeds with its first outside the city scheduled to open its doors in York in the coming weeks.

“Our initial business plan was to open one pub a year and we’ve done that,” Moss told delegates at last week's MA300 conference. “Now, we’re looking at doing two pubs per year, and will have achieved that with the York opening.”

Moss said he had no specific targets in mind for the pub estate and was more concerned about finding the best locations in its Yorkshire heartland. “It’s never been a numbers game for us, it’s more about adding value to the Leeds Brewery brand. If we can find the right sites then we will open more pubs,” he added.

Experience

Explaining the company’s ethos, Moss said: “We run pubs that we would want to drink in, focusing on a great customer experience with good service, knowledgeable staff, accessible beers and good food.”

“We don’t do left field or high ABV beers, we just brew quality, commercial beer that is as good as we can make it.”

The company is the largest brewery in the city and Moss said he wants as many outlets as possible with a LS postcode to sell his beer.

The brewery has already secured contracts with Enterprise Inns, Punch Taverns and Mitchells and Butlers, alongside a strong free trade business.