Stonegate takes on more JDW pubs

Ever-expanding pub company Stonegate has bought two more JD Wetherspoon (JDW) pubs, meaning that it has now acquired a dozen JDW sites in the past four months.

The managed pubco estimates that it will complete on Ipswich pub, the Robert Ransome, in the next four to six weeks. After this, the site will be rebranded as a Yates, marking a return to the trade name it operated under before JDW bought it a decade ago.

In contrast, the second purchase, the Jug & Jester in Leamington Spa, will become one of the firm’s traditional managed pubs when the sale is finalised.

Stonegate chief executive Simon Longbottom said: "The diversity and flexibility of our trading formats, both traditional and branded, enable us to transform pubs that are under-performing into thriving businesses, meeting the needs of today’s consumer. The people operating these pubs are a significant part of the journey to success and we look forward to welcoming the Ipswich and Leamington teams into our business."

The acquisitions take the pubco, which owns the Slug & Lettuce brand as well as Yates, to a total estate of 695 sites nationwide. In recent months, it has taken on 30 Intertain bars and a trio of London pubs, as well as the JDW sites.

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