Remaining Orchid sites placed in administration
The administrator said the outlets are branded under Home of Great British Carvery, All Inns, PKB, Do Drop Inns and Your Local Pubco. The package also features the group’s Oriental Restaurant Group sites including the Sri Nam in Cabot Square, Canary Wharf; Imperial City Royal Exchange Cornhill; and Pacific Oriental Threadneedle Street.
In total 936 people are employed in the venues, which are located across the country and will remain open while the administrator looks for a buyer.
Alan Hudson, joint administrator at Ernst & Young, said: “The pub and restaurant industry has faced increased challenges over recent years as consumers’ disposable income has been squeezed resulting in a significant fall in discretionary spending. These challenging conditions have led to a decline of sales across the Orchid Pubs & Restaurants Limited portfolio and resulted in these 49 pubs and restaurants being unable to continue to operate outside of administration.
“The pubs and restaurants will continue to trade without interruption as a going concern while we seek to find a buyer. We are keen to stress that customers will continue to enjoy the high standard of food, drink and service on offer across the portfolio.”
It is understood that Spirit Pub Company had been planning to acquire between 12 and 15 leases operated by Orchid on which it is guarantor before they are placed into administration.
M&B acquired the majority of the Orchid estate (173 sites) earlier this month in a £266m deal.
The full list of pubs:
Church View Inn, Widnes; Cross Keys, Taunton; Druids Head, Brighton; Kings Head Hotel, Hoveton, Norwich; Little Mester, North Anston, Sheffield; Rose Inn, Great Wakering, Southend-on-sea; Inn On The Green, Billericay; Old Rooms Inn, Weymouth; Dog & Gun, Keswick; Hare & Hounds, Holcombe, Bury; Red Lion, Drayton, Norwich; Marquis Of Granby, Esher; Spyglass & Kettle, Southbourne; Channings Hotel, Clifton, Bristol; Tamar, Plymouth; White Horse, Southend-on-sea; Fox & Pheasant, Stoke Poges, Slough; Waterside, Goodrington, Paignton; Grays Inn, Aberdeen; Black Bull, Midgley; New River Arms, Broxbourne; Beehive, Welwyn Garden City; Bramingham, Luton.
High Flyer, Ely, Cambridgeshire; Plough & Dragon, Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire; Rose & Crown, Brentwood, Essex; Bread & Cheese, Benfleet, Essex; Peeping Tom, Coventry; Snow Goose, Farnborough, Hampshire; Hatfield Chase, Hatfield, Doncaster; Knowles Arms, Blackburn; White Lyon &Dragon, Guildford, Surrey; Green Dragon, Winchmore Hill, London; Norbiton & Dragon, Kingston upon Thames, London.
Sri Nam, Canary Wharf, London; Imperial City, Royal Exchange, London; Pacific Oriental, Threadneedle Street, London; Gatwick Oriental Sofitel Hotel, Crawley; Sri Thai, London Wall London; Magic Lantern, North Shields; Sovereigns; Portsmouth; Bell Fountain, Leicester; Wishing Well, Bristol; Bellhouse, Wilmslow, Manchester; Hunters, East Kilbride; Hobby Horse, Chesterfield; Owl & Pussycat, Barrow-In-Furness; Gipsy Moth, Croydon; Aire Of The Dog, Leeds.
