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.

Oct- 2022 -

11 October

Drink demand keeps Marston’s sales afloat in FY22

Marston’s has announced that total retail sales for the year to 1 October were up by 2% against FY19, predominantly driven by drink sales which continued to outperform food sales in the period. Like-for-like sales were down 1% against FY19 however, reflecting the impact of trading restrictions last December and…
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11 October

Greene King acquires Hickory’s

Greene King has announced its acquisition of Hickory’s, a BBQ smokehouse restaurant group, for an undisclosed sum, with plans to grow it into a national dining brand. As part of the transaction, Greene King plans to accelerate the national roll out of the Hickory’s brand beyond the North West, with…
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7 October

JD Wetherspoon posts £30.4m loss

JD Wetherspoon has reported a pre-tax loss of £30.4m for the 53 weeks ended 31 July 2022 (FY22) amid what it called “painstakingly” slow recovery recovery post-Covid and rising cost inflation. The company also announced that it is marketing 32 pubs following its long-term strategy of opening larger pubs at…
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6 October

Yummy Pubs offloads The Wiremill to Hall & Woodhouse

Yummy Pubs has sold The Wiremill, near Lingfield in Surrey, to independent family brewer Hall and Woodhouse for an undisclosed sum. Business partners Anthony Pender, Tim Foster and Jason Rowlands will now be pursuing separate projects, following their 15-year partnership at Yummy Pubs. Following the move, Yummy Pubs will rebrand…
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5 October

Urban Pub and Bars acquires three London venues

Urban Pub and Bars has furthered its growth plans through the acquisition of three new venues in “iconic” London locations, bringing the total sites in its portfolio to 40. The three new acquisitions, the Queens Head, formerly the Goose Island site in Shoreditch, Monarchy in Camden town and The Horseshoe…
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Sep- 2022 -

30 September

Downing acquires Pub People Group

Investment manager Downing has acquired The Pub People Group (Pub People) and merged it with its existing investment in Autumn Pubs Limited (Autumn), which has been managed under contract by Pub People since 2012. Funds managed by Downing will be the majority shareholder in the combined business (the group), and…
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29 September

Roseacre Inns expands portfolio with £650,000 investment with Star

Roseacre Inns has announced it is expanding its Midlands-based estate to eight pubs by taking its fifth lease with Star Pubs and Bars at The Axe and Square in Countesthorpe. Following a two-and-a-half-year closure, the pub will receive a £650,000 joint investment to upgrade it into a “traditional pub serving…
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28 September

Arc Inspirations to launch five new sites amid ‘record’ results

Arc Inspirations has revealed plans to open five sites in the next six months, creating 500 new jobs, following “record” financial results for the 12 months ending 31 March 2022 as group sales hit £38.9m and profits were £7.5m. The group said it has seen “exceptionally strong” recovery from Covid-19…
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26 September

Brighton Pier Group hits ‘record’ revenues of £40m in FY22

The Brighton Pier Group, owners of Brighton Pier Palace and nine bars across the UK, has reported record revenues of £40.1m, compared with £13.5m in 2021, up 25% on the same pre-Covid period in 2019. In the year to 26 June, 2022, the group reported EBITDA of £10.8m for the…
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26 September

Scratch Consultancy expands lease with Star Pubs and Bars

Business consultancy company, Scratch Consultancy, has taken the lease on its second site with Star Pub and Bars, The Compasses in Chelmsford, with aspirations to build an estate of five pubs across Essex and North Kent with the pub and bar operator. The two companies will undertake a joint £250k…
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