Urban opens 3 new pubs
Urban & Country Leisure, the managed multiple headed by Ross Sanders, has opened three new pubs to take its estate to 12 sites.
It has re-opened a northern Cotswold pub, formerly called Moreton's, just outside Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, as the Greedy Goose with a £300,000 refurbishment.
The pub has a private landlord who bought it from Punch Taverns at a property auction.
Further plans include the addition of 10 Canadian-style two/three bedroom log cabins.
The company also re-opened the Coach & Horses in Beedon, near Newbury, Berkshire, two weeks ago after a £65,000 refurbishment — it also has a private landlord and was previously closed for 14 months.
In addition Urban & Country Leisure will shortly be re-opening the Old Volunteer, at Caythorpe, near Nottingham. It's a Greene King leased site that has seen a £450,000 investment from the tenanted operator — Urban is spending £100,000 on a re-fit.
Also in the pipeline is Urban's first freehold site, which will see an exchange of contracts before Christmas. The acquisition of the venue, which is in Warwickshire, has been made possible by the raising of a £2.5m capital fund — £1.5m will be spent buying the site, with the rest spent on a refurbishment.
Urban & Country Leisure operates seven other former Massive Pub Company venues — two Scottish & Newcastle Pub Enterprise leases and five free-of-tie leases.
On top of that the estate includes Enterprise's White Horse in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, the pub that was formerly linked to celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, and the Emperor in Farnham Royal, near Slough, in Berkshire.
Sanders founded the company two years ago after previously working for nightclub company Luminar opening Chicago Rock Cafes as well as spending time working for Spirit in its private equity days.
