Joel Czopor and Susie Clarke, licensees of the Enterprise lease in London’s Kentish Town, have taken on the nearby Bluebell on a temporary tenancy with the same pubco. The pub is set to re-open shortly after being closed since last October.
It is thought Czopor and Clarke, which operate under the umbrella Partnership Pubs, may look to re-open the pub under one its original names - the Gipsy Queen.
Clarke told a local news site: “The owners, Enterprise, are still marketing the lease, and will consider our application alongside others, so unfortunately we don’t have any guarantees. We had hoped to be the first choice as we’re local; and we’re pretty confident we can create the best possible reinvention of the pub.”
The Grafton was crowned Pub of the Year at last year’s Great British Pub Awards, also winning the Best Partnership Pub category.
After winning at the Great British Pub Awards, which are organised by the Publican’s Morning Advertiser, Czopor said that their business plan was to open three pubs in five years.