Hawthorn to start charging full rent from August

19-Mar-2021 - Last updated on 19-Mar-2021 at 10:37 GMT

Reopening plan: Hawthorn boss Mark Davies said it was incredibly important that the company supports its partners and operators to get back to full strength as quickly as possible

Community pub operator, Hawthorn, has outlined a tapered rent support package for its estate throughout this summer.

For its leased and tenanted pubs, current rent levels, which are capped at about 30%, will continue until the end of May, before rising to 50% in June, 75% in July and 100% in August, in line with the Government’s proposed roadmap and an expected gradual increase in trade.

Tenants and lessees will also benefit from cashback incentives on all purchases, enhanced credit terms and step-by-step reopening guides, alongside point of sale provided to all venues, the pub company said.

Hawthorn is also providing support for its operator-managed pubs with in the region of £550,000 to be paid to operators at trading and non-trading pubs with funds covering labour costs and being invested in outside areas to increase capacity.

Combined investments

The pub company estimated it has provided more than £8m of support for its licensees and predicted more than 300 (about 60%) of its pubs in England will be open for trading on Monday 12 April.

It went on to work out a similar proportion of the estate in Scotland is expected to trade on Monday 26 April, while it awaits further details around reopening in Wales.

Of the company’s leased and tenanted estate set to reopen in England next month, about a third (30%) have benefited from its Pub Partner Investment Fund where Hawthorn matches every £1 its partners invest in outdoor space or increasing trading capacity, up to £10,000.

To date, Hawthorn alongside tenants and lessees have invested more than £500,000 in 110 schemes to add lighting, heating and covers and support Covid compliance across the portfolio.

Bounce back stronger

Amid the pandemic, Hawthorn said it had invested more than £10m in the past 12 months through its capital expenditure programme and projects being brought forward during the latest lockdown. A large proportion of this has been put into improving beer gardens.

Hawthorn CEO Mark Davies said: “It is incredibly important to me and everyone at Hawthorn that we support our partners and operators to get back to full strength as quickly as possible.

“Our business is only successful if our partners’ businesses are successful and we hope this package of measures will help our pubs to bounce back stronger and more quickly.”