Admiral invests almost £1m in four pub revamps

19-Dec-2023 - Last updated on 19-Dec-2023 at 16:27 GMT

Month of investments: the Midland is one of the sites Admiral Taverns has put £930k into renovating in the past month

Admiral Taverns has invested close to £1m in the renovation and reopening of four of its pubs in the past month.

The Oak, in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, has undergone a £298,000 refurbishment; the Fox & Elm, Gloucester, has enjoyed a £253,000 boost; £244,000 has been ploughed into the Midland Hotel, Normanton, West Yorkshire; and the Britannia, Sherborne, Dorset, has had a £135,000 revamp – resulting in a total expenditure of £930,000.

The Oak on Rossington Avenue reopened on Saturday 9 December following a major investment of almost £300,000.

The site, which is part of the Proper Pubs division at Admiral Taverns has undergone a complete transformation to the bar area to provide more seating space for customers.

It now boasts a fresh décor as well as four flatscreen televisions – complete with Sky Sports and TNT Sports – a dartboard and a pool table to appeal to the local community.

To celebrate the reopening, customers got to enjoy a live set from a local DJ on Saturday 9th December.

Operator of the Oak, Cheryl Woodcock, said: “Opening night was fantastic, it was amazing to see all our customers, old and new, coming to see what the pub has to offer.

“The feedback we received from our community was amazing and we can’t wait to see them again soon.”

Two beer gardens

The Fox & Elm on Stroud Road reopened on Monday 18 December and the site, also in the Proper Pubs division, features a new bar area complete with new furnishings, fixtures, fittings and flooring throughout.

Outside the pub hosts two beer gardens, which have both been revamped to feature new lighting and seating.

For opening night, customers got to enjoy a meet and greet with the new operators and received a gift voucher entitling them to a complimentary drink to celebrate.

Another Proper Pubs site, the Midland Hotel on Market Street opened its doors on Wednesday 6 December with a special live performance from Castleford-based duo, Small Town Sounds.

The renovation features a new bar, several flat screen televisions with paid-for sports packages, and a games room complete with a new dartboard, pool table and DJ booth.

Outside, the pub boasts brand-new lighting and signage as well as a newly renovated beer garden, seating up to 50 people, complete with new wooden benches, a television screen and a covered area.

Proper Pubs operations director Matthew Gurney said: “The refurbishment at the Midland Hotel looks fantastic – the team has worked really hard to ensure it is a success for the local community.”

Four in a Bed winners

Community pub the Britannia reopened on Friday 17 November following a combined investment of £135,000 from Admiral Taverns and licensees Hannah and Lee Steele.

The investment has seen the main bar added to with newly upholstered wooden furniture and booths, as well as a peaceful dining room complete with an open fireplace.

The pub also features a games room with its own bar, a jukebox, pool table and flat screen televisions.

Externally, the pub has been refreshed and hosts a spacious outdoor decking area – complete with shelter so it can be enjoyed all-year-round – seating up to 50 people.

Hannah and Lee – who led the pub to victory on Channel 4’s Four in a Bed earlier this year – are experienced multiple operators having been at the helm of the Britannia since 2021.

The couple also runs the nearby Rose & Crown, which underwent an £80,000 upgrade during the summer.

Meanwhile, Proper Pubs, which operates 200 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales – has begun its annual collection of Christmas selection boxes to provide Christmas cheer to communities across the UK. This year, the group is aiming to beat 2022’s total of 18,800.

As part of this Christmas campaign, each pub is being tasked with collecting as many chocolate and confectionery filled Christmas selection boxes as possible from individual community members.

The selection boxes will then be donated to a host of local charities in need, chosen by the operators of each pub.

The Sun Inn in Chesterfield has set itself a target of 1,000 selection boxes, having already collected an 700. The Queens in Bredbury has already collected 287 boxes and the Old Millstone in Macclesfield has collected a total of 630 so far.