NEOS transitions two new sites to core concepts
NEOS Hospitality has confirmed plans to transition two new sites into its immersive bar brands.
Managed Groups
Heartwood eyes £100m turnover with efficiency-led rooms strategy
Heartwood Collection is accelerating growth in its pubs-with-rooms operation to offset rising costs, with £40m capex planned and a £100m turnover target, CEO Richard Ferrier told The Morning Advertiser (The MA).
JDW to expand overseas operations
Pub behemoth JD Wetherspoon (JDW) is set to open two new airport pubs in Spain.
Inception to launch games parlour concept in the City
Inception Group is converting part of its Mr Fogg’s City Tavern into an experiential gaming site this spring.
Market Halls secures £11m in funding
Market Halls has secured £11m in funding from OakNorth to support the next phase of its national growth strategy, including the acquisition of additional sites.
RedCat explores investment options
RedCat, the operator founded by former Greene King CEO Rooney Anand, is exploring investment options, as it looks to capitalise on growing demand for its premium pubs-with-rooms business.
Brooke steps down at Amber Taverns
Mark Brooke has stepped down from his role as chief executive at Amber Taverns in a mutual agreement with the pubco.
Horsemen & Fitzgerald’s site to combine US and Irish styles
The City of London will be home to a new American-Irish pub and clubhouse shortly after Easter when the Horsemen & Fitzgerald’s opens its doors.
JDW reveals plans to open up to 35 pubs
Pub giant JD Wetherspoon (JDW) is looking to open around 15 managed pubs and 15 to 20 franchised pubs in the current financial year, it revealed in a recent trading update.
Strong trading for Shepherd Neame pubs offset by brewing decline
Shepherd Neame has reported £84.7m revenue for the 26 weeks ended 27 December 2025, a slight dip from £85m in H1 2025.
Tilray acquires BrewDog’s US assets
Tilray Brands has entered into an asset purchase agreement to acquire certain strategic assets of BrewDog in the US.
Coaching Inn Group adds seven sites to estate
Coaching Inn Group has expanded its estate to 43 sites, with seven pubs transferred from RedCat Hospitality.
Butcombe steps up investment into London pubs
Butcombe Group has unveiled plans to ramp up investment into its London managed estate, describing the capital as a “hugely exciting market”.
Full list of BrewDog bars set to close
Some 38 BrewDog bars have closed today (Monday 2 March) with immediate effect following Tilray’s takeover of the brand.
Tilray completes £33m deal to acquire BrewDog
American pharmaceutical company and cannabis giant Tilray has completed a £33m deal to acquire the BrewDog brand and certain “strategic assets”.
US pharmaceutical company eyes BrewDog takeover
Tilray, a US pharmaceutical and cannabis giant, has emerged as a contender to take over BrewDog, industry sources told The Morning Advertiser (The MA).
Nightcap to transform site into ‘calm, considered and genuinely welcoming’ cocktail bar
Multiple operator Nightcap Group is set to transform an existing The Cocktail Club site into a standalone venue.
Unite plans protest against BrewDog over staff treatment amid sale
A demonstration has been planned outside a city centre BrewDog venue in response to the treatment of workers amid an ongoing sale process.
JDW to open third university pub
Pub behemoth JD Wetherspoon (JDW) is set to open a new site at The University of Surrey in Guildford.
PROPERTY ROUND-UP
PROPERTY: Savills brings Gladstone Arms freehold to market at £1.12m
This property round-up includes mentions from Admiral Taverns, Punch Pubs, Christie & Co, and more.
May opening for Flight Club, five international launches confirmed
Red Engine has confirmed it will open a new Flight Club site in the UK in May while its trade partners will open five sites across the world.
Sales up 8% at Butcombe Group
Butcombe Group has reported an 8% uptick in like-for-like sales across its managed estate.
McMullen’s: ‘Loss of business property relief was seismic game-changer’
While it had toyed with the idea of disposing of its leased and tenanted business in the past, the impact of the last two Budgets was the clincher for the pub and brewing business, MD Heydon Mizon told MCA.
Market Taverns appoints new MD
Market Taverns has announced changes to its senior leadership teams as part of its growth plans.
Hall & Woodhouse invests £2.5m into tenanted estate
Hall & Woodhouse (H&W) injected more than £2.5m into its tenanted Business Partner arm last year.
PROPERTY ROUND-UP
PROPERTY: Heartwood Inns opens The Woodman in Southgate
This property round-up includes mentions from Heartwood Inns, M&B, Star Pubs and more.
Urban Pubs & Bars accelerates expansion as strong trading fuels growth
Urban Pubs & Bars has accelerated its London expansion after a sustained period of strong trading across its 66 site estate, with the group completing 15 acquisitions in the past 12 months.
Tim Martin confirms succession planning as Wetherspoon’s tax bill tops £1m per pub
Sir Tim Martin has confirmed that succession planning is under way at JD Wetherspoon, signalling the first public acknowledgement that the founder is preparing for an eventual handover after more than four decades at the helm.
ANALYSIS
ANALYSIS: Has RedCat finally landed on its feet?
The Rooney Anand founded business is exiting its managed estate and bringing together its pubs-with-rooms sites into one division, a canny move that presents significant opportunities.
Inside Urban Pubs & Bars’ multi-million-pound investment push
Urban Pubs & Bars has accelerated its growth with a sustained seven-month programme of multi-million-pound investment, refurbishments and strategic acquisitions across its estate.
Butcombe creates chief experience role as leadership reshaped for next growth phase
Butcombe Group has announced two senior leadership changes as the business continues to push growth across its managed, tenanted and brewing divisions.
Butcombe COO urges Chancellor to recognise ‘extraordinary value’ of pubs
Butcombe Group’s chief operating officer Jayson Perfect has urged Chancellor Rachel Reeves to rethink how pubs are taxed and regulated, warning that current policy fails to reflect their economic, cultural and social importance.
NEOS Hospitality to open first dual-concept venue
NEOS Hospitality has revealed plans to open a new dual-concept venue in London’s West End this summer, following a multimillion-pound investment.
Potential buyer for TRC may have been put off, says insolvency expert
After reading over The Revel Collective’s financial figures, any potential purchaser of the business may have been put off buying it, according to an insolvency expert.
Revel confirms notice to appoint administrators
The Revel Collective has confirmed it will file a notice of intention to appoint administrators to the company and certain of its subsidiaries.
Sales up 4.5% at Shepherd Neame but beer volumes down
Shepherd Neame has reported strong growth across its estate with like-for-like sales up 4.5% for the 26 weeks to 27 December 2025.
Young’s posts record festive sales as group lines up main market move
Young’s has reported exceptional Christmas trading after recording its highest ever sales day, while confirming plans to move its listing from AIM to the main market of the London Stock Exchange.
‘There’s plenty of room for us to grow’ says Amber Taverns boss
Amber Taverns is eyeing further growth, particularly in the south-east of England, according to chief executive Mark Brooke.
PROPERTY ROUND-UP
PROPERTY: Portobello to reopen former JDW freehold as The Falconbrook
This property round-up includes mentions from Portobello Pubs, Brunning & Price, Urban Pubs & Bars, Shepherd Neame and more.
Pubs end 2025 on a high as December sales jump 5.1%
Pubs recorded a strong finish to 2025, with festive celebrations driving meaningful year end growth across the sector, according to the latest NIQ RSM Hospitality Business Tracker.
JDW eyes 15 new pubs as sales grow despite £45m cost hit
JD Wetherspoon (JDW) reported a 4.5% rise in like-for-like sales for the 25 weeks to 18 January and plans to open 15 pubs in FY26, despite a £45m increase in operating costs.
Heartwood reports strong FY results as CFO steps down
Heartwood Collection has reported a strong year of financial and operational growth for 2025, as chief financial officer Chris Guy steps down from his role after seven years with the business.
Thwaites boss: Labour tax policies ‘vandalising communities’
A quarter of pubs in the UK could close over the next 10 years under the current trajectory, according to Thwaites chairman Richard Bailey.
Amber Taverns planning 20 openings this year
Wet-led pub operator Amber Taverns has revealed its expansion plans alongside its festive trading figures in a recent update.
RedCat to exit managed arm and focus on pubs with rooms
RedCat Hospitality has announced plans to exit its managed pub division to become a focused pub-with-rooms operator.
Urban Pubs & Bars reports record Christmas trading as expansion gathers pace
Urban Pubs & Bars has delivered its strongest festive trading performance to date, posting like for like sales growth of 14.5% in December and a 40% increase in total covers across its estate.
M&B toasts lfl sales boost of 7.7% for core festive period
Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has celebrated festive trade at its sites after seeing like-for-like (lfl) sales growth of 7.7% during the core three-week period.
Mission Mars delivers record festive trading
Mission Mars has reported record revenue of £36.2m for the three months to 28 December 2025.
Loungers grows revenue beyond £400m
Loungers has reported revenue of £406.4m in its most recent financial results for the year ended 20 April 2025, up from £353.5m the year before.
Rates review must include pubs with rooms and hotels, says RedCat CEO
RedCat Hospitality chief executive Richard Lewis has warned that any Government intervention on business rates must extend beyond pubs to include the wider accommodation sector.