The Bath Pub Company, which operated four popular pubs in the city including The Locksbrook Inn and The Marlborough Tavern, has been acquired by St Austell Brewery.
The four pubs taken over by family-owned St Austell Brewery | Photo © Bath Pub Company
The business acquisition is part of St Austell Brewery’s continued expansion, strengthening its 184-strong West Country pub estate.
The deal was completed on Monday 11th September for an undisclosed amount.
The Locksbrook Inn, The Moorfields and The Hare & Hounds bring the total number of sites in St Austell Brewery’s managed pub estate to 43.
The Marlborough Tavern is now part of the company’s leased and tenanted estate and will continue to be operated by Justin Sleath, The Bath Pub Company’s co-founder and commercial director.
Kevin Georgel, Chief Executive of St Austell Brewery said: “We’re extremely proud to become the new owners of such a high-quality and well-respected pub company in Bath.
“We are fully committed to developing the quality and size of our pub estate. As such, we are investing significantly in our existing pubs, whilst also acquiring new sites and businesses such as The Bath Pub Company.
“The Locksbrook Inn, The Moorfields, The Hare & Hounds and The Marlborough Tavern all have a strong alignment with our long-term plans and are a perfect fit for us, in terms of market and consumer positioning.
“We’re looking forward to working closely with the team and building on Joe and Justin’s success in this next chapter.”
Joe Cussens, Managing Director and co-founder, The Bath Pub Company said: “St Austell Brewery is a fellow independent business, rooted in the West Country, which we have respected and admired for a long time.
“In fact, I first met Kevin Georgel back in 2006 when we initially took on The Marlborough Tavern.
“Justin and I are very confident that, as a company which shares our values, St Austell Brewery is the custodian best suited for the next stage of The Bath Pub Company’s development.
“We’re very proud of the business as it is today and know St Austell Brewery has the resources and know-how to grow it further to release the full potential of the pubs in the years to come.”
The acquisition of The Bath Pub Company strengthens St Austell Brewery’s presence in and around Bath where it already owns four tenanted pubs including The Griffin, The Swan, The Hop Pole and The Salamander.
The company also acquired Bath Ales in 2017, a deal which included a brewery in Warmley and a local distribution network.
Earlier this year, St Austell Brewery announced a joint venture with the directors of ETM Group to launch a series of premium sports bars in the West County – Ludo Sports Bar & Kitchen. The first Ludo site opened in Bath this summer.
