Hook Norton identifies 16 towns for pub sites

The company has also said it is in discussions with major national tenanted pub companies for its expansion drive, but stressed that it is “not doing acquisition by numbers”.

Last month Hook Norton said it had recruited Colliers International to look for pub acquisitions within its heartland.

Colliers has now specified that the target areas are Bicester, Buckingham, Aylesbury, Oxford, Wallingford, Cirencester, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Broms-grove, Warwick, Leamington Spa, Stow-on-the-Wold, Stratford, Northampton, Marlow and Henley. Markets towns in the Cotswolds would also be targeted in the search.

When asked if the company, which currently operates 44 sites, is talking to companies such as Punch Taverns and Enterprise Inns, Hook Norton’s joint managing director Adrian Staley said: “I’ve had some discussions with these operators and we’ve got some on-going conversations to see if there are any that will suit what we want.”