UK's last Rat & Parrot pub closes

The UK's last Rat & Parrot, the former Scottish & Newcastle Retail brand, closes today.

TCG, which operates the Rat & Parrot on the High Street in Crawley, will stop trading the site today.

The site was formerly run by Punch's managed division. Punch is still the leaseholder, with TCG owning the sub-lease.

"The Rat & Parrot has now turned up its toes," said TCG chief operating officer Nigel Wright.

"We will be emptying it and closing it, then it will be up to the landlord and Punch Taverns about the next stage.

"I think the concept was absolutely right for the '90s, but with the rise of more female-friendly, food-led concepts, it became more dated."

Rat & Parrot started as a Scottish & Newcastle Retail brand and was sold to Spirit Group, later acquired by Punch, in 2003

TCG, formed in 2005 after buying 178 ex-Spirit sites, has been phasing out the Rat and Parrot concept by rebranding individual sites and putting leases up for sale.

Paul Corbett, who has been the pub's general manager since last May, is one of those losing his job.

He said: "I am disappointed to say the least but at the end of the day it is the company's decision and I have to abide by it. The pub has always been a kind of pre-club pub, somewhere for people to go before hitting the nightclubs.

"We are also one of two pubs in town that has the ability to show sports on TV. The pub was absolutely packed on Saturday for the Crawley game."