Pubs and Bars

The Pubs and Bars section on Catering Today covers the business developments, market trends, and operational challenges shaping the UK’s pub and bar sector. It reports on acquisitions, brand expansions, drinks innovation, and regulatory updates, alongside insights into staffing, sustainability, and consumer behaviour. With expert commentary and commercial analysis, Catering Today provides industry professionals with the intelligence needed to navigate a competitive and fast-evolving on-trade environment.

Apr- 2024 -

23 April

Another Place opens Brackenrigg Inn

Another Place, The Lake has announced the opening of the refurbished Brackenrigg Inn, in Ullswater in the Lake District. The pub is a short walk from the existing hotel and includes a bar, seven ensuite bedrooms, a sun-trap terrace and six acres of meadows. Guests staying at The Brackenrigg will…
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22 April

Queens Head Hawkshead re-opens after refurb

The Queens Head, a pub with rooms in Hawkshead, has reopened following its new pub and guest bedrooms refurbishment. The listed pub, one of Robinsons’ Individual Inns pub collection, offers “premium pub accommodation” alongside food and drinks. The sixth-generation family brewers have invested significant capital into the improvements of the…
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22 April

Red Engine to open fourth UK Electric Shuffle in Manchester

Red Engine has announced that it will open its fourth Electric Shuffle venue in the UK in Manchester on 21 June. Located on Deansgate, this new venue is the second outside of London and the second Red Engine brand to reach Manchester after the opening of Flight Club in 2018.…
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19 April

London’s Soho welcomes six new F&B offerings

Six new F&B additions are set to open in Soho’s Shaftesbury Capital portfolio. Kingly Street has welcomed two new signings from The Counter and Little Door and Co alongside the upsize of pub and cocktail bar Two Floors. Three-storey alfresco dining destination, Kingly Court, has introduced two new debut concepts,…
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19 April

Chestnut acquires two pub with rooms in Norfolk

Hospitality Group Chestnut has expanded its footprint in Norfolk with the acquisition of The Lifeboat Inn and The Chequers Inn in the coastal village of Thornham. The acquisition accelerates Chestnut’s foothold in the region, through the addition of a further 28 bedrooms – with the opportunity to add more. The…
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11 April

Revolution Bars Group unveils restructuring plan as sales rise 8.3%

Revolution Bars Group has unveiled a restructuring proposal while also revealing an 8.3% boost in sales to £82.3m for the 26-week period ending 30 December 2023. Group like-for-like sales for the four weeks from 4 to 31 December 2023 were up 9%, the best festive period since 2019. LFL sales…
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10 April

Portobello Pub Company acquires Darwin and Wallace

The Portobello Pub Company has acquired London-based bar-restaurant business, Darwin and Wallace for an undisclosed sum. The acquisition will add seven “high-volume” venues located in some key London ‘villages’ including Battersea Power Station, Clapham Old Town, Wimbledon and Richmond. Darwin and Wallace will continue to operate under the same name,…
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9 April

Red Engine secures £60M facility to drive global expansion

Red Engine has announced today that it has secured a new £60m facility from Santander, HSBC and Barclays. The company behind Flight Club Darts and Electric Shuffle has revealed that it plans to use this capital for a global expansion drive. Red Engine will open Electric Shuffle Manchester and New…
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9 April

RedCat losses widen to £31m in FY23

RedCat Pub Company has reported that net losses after tax widened to £31m during the year ending 2 April 2023, up from £5.4m in the year before. This comes despite the pub group achieving a turnover of £120.5m, up from £62.8m in 2022, and gross profits of £89.2m, rising from…
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9 April

Nine Stonegate Group managers gain leadership roles

Stonegate Group is celebrating the graduation of nine managers from its diverse pubs across the UK. The graduation ceremony, held at Stonegate’s Academy in Birmingham, celebrated six new regional managers, one area manager, one general manager and a pub support team manager. The milestone also marks the first-ever Aspirations cohort…
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