Red Oak acquires 10 pub package from Wells & Co

The 10 venues are in the Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire areas and take Red Oak’s portfolio to a current total of 190 sites.

This is Red Oak’s second acquisition of 2021 after it bought three pubs from Reclamation Inns last month (January).

The multiple operator was founded in 2011 by Mark Grunnell and Aaron Brown, which privately own the business alongside a small number of like-minded individual investors.

Bedfordshire-based Wells & Co was founded in 1876 and has an estate of around 200 sites in the UK and France. It has recently completed on its new brewery Brewpoint, which opened in October 2020.

Seamless handover

On the sale, Wells & Co managing director Peter Wells said: “We’re pleased to have found an excellent custodian for these pubs in Red Oak.

“We’ve worked closely with the Red Oak team to ensure the handover is as seamless as possible and I’m confident these businesses will thrive under Red Oak.

“The sale enables us to focus on growing our managed sites in the UK and France while leaving us with a quality portfolio of 170 tenanted pubs.”

Furthermore, Red Oak is also looking to secure additional funding in a bid to continue growth in the business.

Finalising terms

Co-founder and chief executive Mark Grunnell said: “We are delighted to secure a further portfolio of quality pubs to join our business.

“These pubs are a mix of rural destination food venues and community pubs, which are a perfect match for our business and we look forward to welcoming the tenants and their teams to Red Oak Taverns.

“Following this acquisition, we are finalising terms for additional capital of £35m to take advantage of immediate investment opportunities.

“The pandemic has in some part, slowed our plans but with the additional funding and an established and focused team, we are ready to take our business through the next phase of its evolution.”

Wells & Co were advised by Christie & Co during the sale.