The Surrey-based business, which operates pubs across London and the south east of England, has been bought by the investors following a marketing process that allows its pubs to continue trading.
Glyn Mummery and Julie Humphrey of specialist business advisory firm FRP were appointed administrators on 6 July 2023 as the business recovered from the Covid trading period.
Upon appointment the business and assets were sold. All 108 staff have been transferred to the new entity and trade continues under the existing management team without disruption at its sites.
The acquisition also ensures the retention of all its staff.
Looking back
In 2021, the business joined forces with independent pub company Punch to launch a collection of craft beer and food pubs across the southeast of England.
Seeking to expand a then four-strong stable, Big Smoke poured £210,000 into Punch’s Prince of Wales Townhouse in Hammersmith, west London, in tandem with the pub operator before reopening in October 2020 to grow its estate to five sites.
This was followed by a second joint project to revamp the White Horse in Welwyn, Hertfordshire, to the tune of £110,000 before resuming trade in April 2021.
Last year, the operator opened new sites in Bath, Somerset, and Camden, central London.
Airport sites
The Oceanic opened in Terminal 3 while the Globe launched in Terminal 5. Both were designed to serve Big Smoke’s core range of beers and gins, accompanied by seasonal food.
The pubs feature Big Smoke’s modern design aesthetic with the Oceanic referencing the original name of Terminal 3, which opened as the Oceanic Terminal in 1961.
Meanwhile the Globe was claimed to be an acknowledgement of the breadth of international destinations to which Heathrow’s Terminal 5 connects.
