2016 Great British Pub of the Year sold to Young’s
The Bull in Ditchling, East Sussex was owned by the Worrall family for more than 18 years and won a multitude of awards including Best Freehouse at the 2019 Great British Pub Awards.
Dominic Worrall said: “The Bull wasn’t on the market but following a discreet approach from Fleurets divisional director Nick Earee and his complete understanding of what we had been able to achieve here and our standards, he was able to introduce Young’s as a potentially suitable match.
“Once we had an opportunity to look at their business model, ethics and the relationship that exists between Young’s, their teams, suppliers and customers, we were prepared to sit down with them."
Further establish
He added: “This acquisition offers the Bull the opportunity to further establish itself as one of the finest pubs in the UK and for the team here to further their experience and progress with a fantastic company.”
He went on to praise Young’s acquisition manager Brendan Brammer and the Young’s team in making the deal work for all parties involved.
Dominic said: “I have an enormous amount of respect for the team there and really wish them all the best in building on the 20 years’ worth of love and passion we have put into the Bull.”
Company strategy
Earee, who has known Dominic and the Bull for more than two decades, said he was delighted to have acted on behalf of Young’s the buy the freehold.
He added: “I am sure it will continue to be one of the best pubs in the south east.”
Young’s acquisition manager Brammer highlighted the company was delighted to have acquired the pub and grow its presence in Sussex.
“A huge thanks to Dom, Nick and all involved for making it happen. The acquisition of the Bull fits perfectly with our strategy of acquiring scalable pubs in strong demographical areas for the Young’s premium managed estate,” he said.
