Three top operators are set to re-enter the UK pub market with the launch of the Valiant Pub Company.
Gerry Carroll and Mark McGinty, co-founders of Hawthorn and James Croft, former group strategy and retail director at Ei Group, are looking to use their extensive experience to create a new operation, targeting the suburban and community pub sector.
The trio, who previously all worked together at Enterprise Inns and were instrumental in rolling out the company’s Beacon concept, are now keeping an eye for when the market starts to open back up.
Carroll said they are setting the operation up with their own funding, alongside investors, and are engaging with potential others. He said they were “poised and ready to go”, but added timing was key.
The Prince of Denmark coffee and beer house opened in Norwich last summer and the owner is keeping spirits up in the community with lockdown takeaways.
Bitter blow: your code rights may be more important now than ever and I want you to know that my office and I are here to protect them during this hugely challenging time, PCA Fiona Dickie wrote to tied tenants Pubs code adjudicator (PCA) Fiona Dickie has approved a new declaration to ‘pause and preserve’ key rights during fresh lockdown restrictions and written to tied tenants in recognition of yet another ‘bitter blow’.
This latest declaration marks the continuation of two prior agreements with the regulated pub companies – Admiral Taverns, Ei Group, Greene King, Marston’s, Punch and Star Pubs & Bars – and will effectively stop the clock on a number of code deadlines that apply to tenants making arbitration referrals during an emergency period between 6 January and 31 March.
The pubs code is not just about market rent only. I want to highlight code rights relating to insurance which apply each time the pub company signs a new tenant or buys and charges a tied tenant for insurance for the pub.
These rights are about transparency, so new tenants sign up with their eyes open.
They are also about competitive pricing for pub company insurance for the premises, as the code gives tied tenants a right to price match.
This is an important area and one that I am concerned tenants do not know enough about.
Tenants information rights
Punch purchases seven-pub package from Heartstone Inns
As reported by
The MA in January, the operator of about 1,250 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales, completed the acquisition of seven pubs from Heartstone Inns.
Established in 2007, Heartstone Inns will continue to operate its remaining eight pubs following the sale of seven sites in the south-west to Punch.
“We are pleased to welcome these seven wonderful pubs into the Punch family and look forward to working together with our new publicans and their teams,” Punch chief executive officer Clive Chesser said.
“We would like to thank Heartstone Inns, who have been working closely with us to ensure a smooth transition for everyone. We have plans to invest in all seven pubs during 2020, providing them with industry-leading support to allow them to flourish, while ensuring they continue to operate at the very heart of their local communities. We will provide further updates as these plans progress, but in