Inglenook adds five Punch leaseholds

06-May-2014 - Last updated on 07-May-2014 at 12:16 GMT

The Grapes at Lees, Greater Manchester, is a new additional to the Inglenook estate

Inglenook Inns & Taverns, the Lancashire-based pub group, has continued its expansion by adding five Punch leaseholds to its estate.

The new pubs are: the Thatch & Thistle in Southport, and the Derby Arms at Rainford, both Merseyside, the South Lodge at Ripon, North Yorkshire, the Grapes at Lees, Greater Manchester, and the Horse & Jockey in Wilmslow, Cheshire. They take the company’s estate to 15 sites.

Director James Waddington said that the firm is currently looking at one more acquisition.

In March he said that the group plans an expansion drive to expand from nine to 22 sites by the end of 2016 as it eyes the possibility of seeking third-party investment.

He said the company was focusing on creating brand awareness around Inglenook Inns & Taverns in 2014.

Its most recent opening was the Beaumont in Bolton, a Punch Taverns tenancy, which opened on 21 March after a joint investment with Punch of £200,000.

Inglenook also operates a separate pub management business called Ignition Pub Management, which operates 12 pubs under temporary agreements.