More than 30 pubs added to Craft Union Pub Company's estate

18-May-2017 - Last updated on 19-May-2017 at 15:42 GMT

Important milestone: Craft Union Pub Company, part of Ei Managed Operations, has begun its “nationwide expansion”

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Craft Union Pub Company, part of Ei Managed Operations, has begun its “nationwide expansion” with the addition of 31 sites in the last three months, taking its current estate to 122 pubs.

The pubco is aiming to have 170 sites by September this year, with the overall goal to have 500 pubs by 2020.

Craft Union has its roots in the north of England, debuting its first pub in May 2015, but has recently opened pubs across the country including in Norwich, Ramsgate and Torquay.

Important milestone

Frazer Grimbleby, operations director, said it had always been the intention of the company to develop into a “leading scale operator of community pubs” – claiming its recent expansion southwards marks an “important milestone in that journey”.

“We aim to put great quality pubs back at the heart of the local community, as we strongly believe pubs play a vital role in the lives of their customers and we are committed to nurturing this,” he said.

“The community is at the heart of every decision we make and our tailored offer reflects this.”

Food now on the table

The Craft Union Pub Company aims to be the pub of choice for locals to meet up and watch their favourite sports.

These pubs are generally smaller with no food offering, having entertainment as the main footfall driver.

However, allied to the estate’s growth, Craft Union is trialling a new food offer focusing on simple, quality dishes such as burgers and pizzas to complement the TV sports-viewing occasion – and if successful will consider introducing it to additional pubs.