January
Acquisition activity started in 2026 with London-based multiple operator Urban Pubs & Bars completing on five venues in the capital.
The deal included a package of four established sites from Brunning & Price as well as the Prince Regent in Herne Hill.
The same month saw NEOS Hospitality double the size of its estate after acquiring 20 Revolution, Revolución de Cuba and Founders & Co sites, expanding the company’s portfolio to 40 venues across 22 UK cities.
Furthermore, Coral Pub Company Acquisition acquired 21 Peach Pubs.
March
The beginning of spring saw US firm Tilray complete a £33m deal to acquire the BrewDog brand and certain “strategic assets”.
The agreement gave Tilray ownership of the brand and its intellectual property, the UK brewing operations and 11 brewpubs in the UK and Ireland.
Elsewhere, the owner of Coppa Club and Noci, Various Eateries, agreed to acquire a portfolio of four sites from Grosvenor Pubs.
April
The following month (April), Punch Pubs & Co procured eight community pubs from RedCat Hospitality.
The transaction supported Punch’s continued investment in high-quality community pubs, the pub company said at the time.
Also in the same period, London and south-east based pub company Young’s agreed to acquire Cubitt House.
The deal included eight existing sites in west London as well as a ninth that was being developed.
June
Just two months after Punch acquired eight pubs from RedCat, the former completed a deal to buy a further five in June for an undisclosed sum.
Fellow large pub company Mitchells & Butlers acquired a seven-strong package of sites from Whitbread in the same month.
This followed Whitbread’s announcement to replace all its 197 remaining restaurants with a more efficient integrated food and beverage offering.
The company had previously agreed the sale of 51 branded restaurants for £50m last year including sites under the Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Bar+Block concepts.
September
Fuller’s expanded its estate in September after exchanging contracts to acquire 10 pubs in a deal worth £35.25m and involving Stonegate as well as an institutional property investment firm.
The deal included four freehold and six leasehold properties with nine of the sites in London and one in Bath.
October
Whitbread shed further sites this month (October) after Common Table Group and associated companies announced plans to acquire 57 former restaurant venues and one Premier Inn hotel for an undisclosed sum.
The sites are expected to remain restaurants, with an all-day food and drink menu aimed at hotel guests and local customers.
Elsewhere, also this month, Admiral Taverns acquired Moutain Pub Company - an operator of 10 wet-led, operator-managed community pubs across the north of England.
