Brakspear Brewery launches Honeycomb Houses

Pub operator and brewer Brakspear has announced it is rebranding its nine-strong managed estate, now renamed Honeycomb Houses, and its planning to expand the division through acquisitions. The Brakspear name will still reportedly appear on pub buildings, and the new Honeycomb Houses identity appears on other exterior and interior signage, menus and team uniforms. Additionally, Brakspear has “refocused the criteria” for its managed estate and is actively looking for new pubs. The company is looking for larger sites in rural locations and market towns in the south east and Cotswolds, with a strong food trade, event space and bedrooms. Brakspear has identified three pubs which will transfer into its tenanted business: The Retreat in Staines, The Dog and Duck in Wokingham and the Golden Ball near Maidenhead, and tenants are being sought for all three pubs. Tom Davies, Brakspear chief executive, said: "Honeycomb Houses is a strong identity which brings our managed pubs together, while retaining the links to Brakspear as a family-run business, steeped in centuries of brewing and pub tradition. "We've had nothing but positive responses from guests and from the pub teams, who will be living and breathing the ‘Our House, Your Home' ethos and turning it into memorable guest experiences." He added: "In designing the Honeycomb Houses identity, we had to define what the brand stood for, and it became evident that three pubs weren't a perfect fit for the new proposition. Going forward, we are completely clear about the type of pub we want in Honeycomb Houses and have ambitions to expand through acquisition." Jacqueline Fletcher, Brakspear retail marketing manager, said: "‘Our House, Your Home' is a simple but powerful way to express what Honeycomb Houses is all about, to our teams and our guests. "We encourage our team members to ‘treat colleagues as family, guests as friends and pubs like home'. If they host guests in the same way that they would treat friends at home, they'll deliver the service we want at Honeycomb Houses: relaxed, attentive and personal to each guest, creating a ‘home from home' atmosphere in our pubs."