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Brakspear is looking to expand its pub estate outside its traditional area of the Thames Valley. As part of the roll out the company has purchased...

Brakspear is looking to expand its pub estate outside its traditional area of the Thames Valley. As part of the roll out the company has purchased the Grade II-listed Hollybush in Redbourn near St Albans in Hertfordshire. The property dates back to the 16th century and has a function hall and a large garden area. Brakspear plans to upgrade and extend the property and is also looking for new tenants to run its acquisitions.

The McKenzie Group, owner of the Shepherds Bush Empire and Carling Academy, has acquired its sixth site in Liverpool. The company will open the Carling Academy Liverpool in late summer 2003 at a cost of £1m for the refurbishment. The new venue will have a capacity for 1,200 people and it will be used for live gigs, dance events and club nights.

Jennings, the Cumbrian-based pub and brewing company, has bought the Rose & Crown in Slaley, Northumberland. The pub, which is five miles from Hexham, is a listed building that is over 200 years old. The Rose & Crown will join the company's Inn Ventures leased division which has 110 pubs stretching from the Lake District to Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire and North East. Jennings has also launched into the youth market with the refurbishment of the Huntsman pub in Main Street, Cockermouth. The pub was a traditional ale house but after a £60,000 investment it will reopen as Hunters bar. The site will boast comfy sofas, a DJ booth and a dance floor.

JD Wetherspoon has opened its most northerly pub in Wick, Scotland. The Alexander Bain is approximately 100 miles from the nearest existing Wetherspoon in Inverness. The pub has a designated smoking area and is wheelchair accessible. It also has a beer garden overlooking the River Wick and the harbour.

Blackpool is to get a facelift. A £1bn plan has been unveiled which will include hundreds of houses, office developments, an entertainment complex, casino hotels and a new conference facility. The development is expected to take 15 to 20 years to complete.

The demand for gastropubs in East Anglia is very strong, according to agent Christie & Co. The company says that within the first four months of the year it has seen record sales of gastropubs, restaurants and tearooms in the region.

The Golden Lion Group, the Brighton-based pub operator, has opened a new champagne bar called the Ebony Room. The 5,000sq ft upmarket bar is situated at Brighton Marina in a new waterside development. The site has a 17.5-metre circular bar, a large piano on a raised stage and sits alongside a number of bars, restaurants and retail outlets. The Golden Lion Group operates several bars and pubs in Brighton including Leo's Lounge, the Cricketers and the Colonnade bar.

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