Brakspear is expanding its leased and tenanted (L&T) estate with the acquisition of three pubs in Surrey from Grosvenor Pubs and Inns.
The Cricketers on The Green, Pirbright
The pubs are The Cricketers on The Green, in Pirbright, The King’s Arms, in Egham, and The Duke of Cambridge, in Tilford, near Farnham.
The transition to Brakspear ownership will be seamless, although The Cricketers on the Green will close for a four-week refurbishment, designed to strengthen its appeal ahead of the key summer trading season.
Existing Brakspear business owners — Brakspear’s term for its tenants and lessees — will be taking on two of the new pubs. Manu Bhatt, operator of award-winning pubs The Running Horses, in Surrey, and The Leicester Arms, in Kent, will be taking The Cricketers on the Green, while Will Buck, the operator at The George Inn, near Bedford, takes The Kings Arms. At The Duke of Cambridge, current general manager Paul Grieve becomes the new business owner.
The Duke of Cambridge, Tilford (left), and The King’s Arms, Egham
“These beautiful and popular pubs are a great addition to our existing L&T estate,” said Tom Davies, chief executive of Brakspear. “We’re delighted to have secured all three, and look forward to working with our talented operators to build on their current trading and create exceptional pubs.
“We are also delighted to be placing two of the new pubs with Will and Manu, who are taking on their second and third Brakspear pub respectively. This gives them scale to develop their offer across several sites, as they build their own multiple-site businesses with our support.”
He added: “We are continually looking for pubs to add to both our L&T estate and Honeycomb Houses managed estate. Despite the challenges our industry continues to face, we are confident that, with the right sites and the right operators, we can build more successful pub businesses. We’re looking forward to adding more great pubs to our estate this year.”
