MA Leaders Club

G1 Group Iona Pub Partnership Heineken

G1 buys tenanted vehicle outright

By John Harrington

G1 Group, the Scottish leisure operator led by Stefan King, has taken complete control of its tenanted pub vehicle Iona Pub Partnership after buying out Heineken’s 25% stake in the business.

MA300 pubs

MA300: Gusto and New World look to London

By John Harrington

Tim Bacon has set out his expansion plans for the Living Ventures-led Gusto brand and the recently renamed New World Trading Company, his pub-led venture backed by the Hill Capital Partners Food & Beverage Fund.

Red Oak Taverns

Red Oak Taverns seeks more sites

By John Harrington

Red Oak Taverns, the tenanted and managed pub company, is on the acquisitions trail after completing a refinancing, the Publican's Morning Advertiser's sister title M&C Report has learnt.

Orchid Pub Company Pizza Kitchen & Bar

Orchid's Pizza Kitchen & Bar's Lite model

By Mark Wingett

Orchid Pub Company has developed a “Lite” model for its Pizza Kitchen & Bar (PKB) format aimed at community pubs, M&C Report has learnt.

Manchester-based Joseph Holt cask ale

Joseph Holt opens new cask-ale-house concept

By John Harrington

Joseph Holt, the Manchester-based brewer and pub operator, has opened a new cask-ale-house concept that could be rolled out further across the estate.

Tax Parity Day pubs

TCG and Black Sheep sign up to Tax Parity Day

By John Harrington

Managed pub and bar operator TCG and North Yorkshire brewer Black Sheep are the latest companies to say they’ll reduce their prices for a day as part of the industry’s VAT cut campaign.

Amber Taverns funding

Amber secures new funding and eyes expansion

By John Harrington

Amber Taverns, the fast-growing operator of wet-led community pubs, is set to acquire another 30 sites after it increased its debt facility with Lloyds Banking Group by £5m to £27.5m.

Robinsons pubs

Robinsons reveals pub investment targets

By John Harrington

Frederic Robinson, the Cheshire-based brewer and pub operator, says it’s on course to spend £3.5m on pub refurbishments in 2013 and has already committed to the same level of investment in 2014.

Revolution vodka bar

Inventive seeks premium bars

By John Harrington

Inventive Leisure, the Revolution bar operator, will look to acquire existing premium-bar businesses for its expansion programme, chief executive Mark McQuater has said.

Wear Inns

Wear Inns back on acquisition trail after strong results

By John Harrington

Wear Inns, the 26-strong northern pub operator, is “back on the acquisitions trail” and is looking to buy larger premises, managing director John Weir has told the Publican's Morning Advertiser sister title M&C Report.

Be At One

Be At One to open 20th site

By John Harrington

Be At One is to open its 20th site before the end of the year after securing three new bars, including its second outside London — located in Brighton — and its first in the West End.

BrewDog crowdfunding

BrewDog raises £3m in share issue

By John Harrington

BrewDog, the Scottish brewer and pub operator, has raised £3m of its fundraising £4m target under its latest crowdfunding scheme in about 10 weeks.

Eclectic Clubs & Bars

Brighton to be first site for Dirty Blonde chain

By John Harrington

Eclectic Clubs & Bars, the Avanti Capital-backed operator, is to convert a Brighton site into the first venue for its Dirty Blonde cocktail bar and restaurant brand, chief executive Reuben Harley has said.

Moorhouse's pub company sales

Moorhouse's turnover rises 18%

By John Harrington

Moorhouse’s, the Lancashire brewer and pub operator, saw sales continue to rise last year, with turnover up 18% to £4.5m in the 12 months to 30 September 2012.

Batemans pub

Turnover and profits up at Batemans

By John Harrington

Batemans, the Lincolnshire brewer and pub operator, saw pre-tax profits grow from £73,580 to £239,687 on turnover up 5.7% to £15.4m in the year to 31 January 2013.

Stonegate Living Room

Stonegate acquires 13 Living Room sites

By John Harrington

Stonegate Pub Company, the managed operator backed by TDR Capital, has completed the acquisition of 13 Living Room sites from Premium Bars & Restaurants (PBR) in a deal thought to be valued at around £10m.

Stonegate Living Room

Stonegate believed to be in talks to acquire Living Room chain

By Mark Wingett

Stonegate Pub Company, the managed operator backed by TDR Capital, is believed to be in exclusive talks to acquire the 14-strong Living Room chain, which is valued at around £10m, the Publican's Morning Advertiser sister title M&C Report understands.

Bath Ales brewery

The Big Interview: Robin Couling, Bath Ales

By Phil Mellows

Good small brewers don’t always make good pub operators, but Bath Ales is proving to be an exception to the rule. Phil Mellows meets Robin Couling, the man who’s taken the company to a new level.

Camerons Brewery pubs

Camerons reveals growth plans

By John Harrington

Camerons, the Hartlepool-based brewer and pub operator, plans to grow its pub estate three-fold to circa 200 sites over the next three years, with expansion focused on a new modern beer-led pub brand.

Luminar returns to profit

Luminar returns to profit

By John Harrington

Luminar, Britain’s biggest nightclub operator, has returned to profit in its first full financial year under the Peter Marks-led consortium, as it saw returns on investment from its recent programme exceed 50%.

Davy's London wine bar

Davy's London wine bar operator eyes growth

By John Harrington

Davy’s, the historic London wine bar operator, expects to add about 10 sites over the next five years, possibly including new outlets for its fledgling diner, steakhouse or restaurant/bar concepts.

Sarumdale Mike Lloyd Rodney Hall

Ex-Sarumdale directors secure tenancies on two pubs

By John Harrington

Former directors of Sarumdale, the Sussex-based pub company placed in administration last summer, have returned to the industry by securing tenancies on two pubs under new ventures R&M Inns and J&A Taverns.

Wadworth pubs

Wadworth outlines priorities after challenging year

By John Harrington

Wadworth, the Wiltshire-based brewer and pub operator, has said growing food margins in its managed estate and adding another business development manager to its tenanted arm are among its focuses for this year.

Heartstone Inns EIS growth

Heartstone Inns gears up for expansion

By John Harrington

Heartstone Inns, the chain of freehold food-led country pubs led by James Birch, is eyeing its next stage of growth after securing its 10th site and embarking on its latest and final round of EIS fundraising.

BrewDog craft beer results

BrewDog turnover rockets after 'hell of a year'

By John Harrington

BrewDog, the Scottish brewer and pub operator, saw turnover almost double from £5.9m to £10.7m in 2012, a period it described as a “hell of a year”, and says it plans to “drastically increase capacity” at its brewery over the course of 2013.

BrewDog Equity for Punks

BrewDog launches new £4m fund raising scheme

By Mark Wingett

BrewDog, the fast-growing Scottish brewer and pub operator, is to relaunch its Equity for Punks crowdfunding programme, with the aim of raising a record £4m through selling shares to beer fans.

Amber Taverns sees EBITDA increase by one-third

Amber Taverns sees EBITDA increase by one-third

By Mark Wingett

Amber Taverns, the fast-growing operator of wet-led community pubs, saw EBITDA increase by one third to £6.8m in the year to 3 February as the 86-strong company reiterated plans to open 12 sites this year.

Grand Union Adam Marshall

Grand Union chief Adam Marshall targets city sites

By John Harrington

Adam Marshall, chief executive of London-based bar group Grand Union, has named Bristol, Bath, Manchester and Brighton as possible locations for the company once it has reached its target of between 20 and 25 sites in the capital.

Novus Leisure digital investment

MA300: Novus Leisure invests £2m in digital operations

By Jessica Mason

Novus Leisure, which owns 48 venues — predominantly in London — has “made a £2m investment” into its digital operations to boost online bookings and adapt to the changing needs of the smartphone generation.

Robinsons pub estate segmentation

Robinsons to segment pub estate into six trading styles

By John Harrington & Phil Mellows

Robinsons, the Cheshire-based brewer and pub operator, is to segment its pub estate into six trading styles as part of a modernisation programme under new operations director Dave Harrison.

Brewhouse & Kitchen Enterprise Investment Scheme

Brewhouse & Kitchen raises £5m for growth

By John Harrington

Brewhouse & Kitchen, the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) venture led by Convivial Pubs chief executive Kris Gumbrell and former Mitchells & Butlers (M;B) executive Simon Bunn, has completed its £5m fundraising drive as it targets three more...

Loungers Alex Reilley new sites

Loungers profits up with more new sites in the pipeline

By John Harrington

Loungers, the Bristol-based café/bar group led by Alex Reilley and Jake Bishop, has reported a 41% rise in EBITDA before central overheads to £4.42m in the year to 30 April as it opened nine sites in the period.

Strong:

The Big Interview: Phil Strong, Chameleon Bar & Dining

By Phil Mellows

Accused of likening the Queen to an old trout, Phil Strong once made headlines in The Sun. However, as Phil Mellows discovers, he’d probably prefer people to remember him as managing director of Chameleon Bar & Dining.

Crown and Cushion new pub Provenance Inns

Provenance Inns acquires seventh site

By John Harrington

Provenance Inns, the high-quality food-led operator led by Michael Ibbotson, has acquired its seventh site and is looking to “cherry-pick” future acquisitions.

Draft House craft beer bar London site

Draft House secures sixth site and eyes new openings

By John Harrington

Draft House, the London-based craft beer concept founded by Charlie McVeigh, plans to accelerate its opening programme next year after announcing its latest acquisition in the City.

Follow us

Property of the week

Pub Trade Guides

View more

Webinars

Upcoming editorial webinars

The Lock In Pub Podcast

Headlines