Brakspear move
Brakspear is finally leaving its historic brewery home beside the river at Henley-on-Thames to move into newly converted offices behind the company's Bell pub nearby. The company now purely a retailer with 100 managed and tenanted outlets has been granted planning permission for its new HQ from South Oxfordshire District Council. Said property director Tony Verey: "It is appropriate that we are going back to almost the same spot where our founders began." Lees wants to buy JW Lees has signalled that it's clearly in the market to buy more pubs with the appointment of former Christie's executive David Walton as its first acquisitions director. Said managing director William Lees-Jones: "We have money in the bank. It is not burning a hole in our pockets, and we need to make sure we buy the right pubs at the right price." Jafari-Fini bid Entrepreneur Mohammed Jafari-Fini looks poised to make an £11m bid for licensed property agent Chesterton's. He has been quietly building up a stake in the company, and now holds just over 11.3% of the equity. Chesterton's confirmed it had received a formal approach for the business. Bulmer's waits Bulmer's said this week there was still no news of definite bidders for its Beer Seller wholesale business put up for sale earlier this year. The company paid £32m for it four years ago, but wants to dispose of it as part of a plan to reduce debt. A management buyout is still being seen as the most likely route. Foster's on grid One of Formula One's biggest financial backers, Foster's, is extending its association with motor racing by sponsoring a new six-part reality TV series, "Be a Grand Prix Driver", to be screened on Channel 5 from 21 April. Brand director John Botia said the programme would act as a build-up to the British Grand Prix in July.
