Marstons Brewery to sell of 200 UK Pubs
Maston’s has announced plans to dispose of 200 of its pubs in the coming 12 months to focus instead on women and budget family dining.
27th November, 2014 by Lauren Eads
Marston’s plans to sell a further 200 pubs over the next 12 months
The pub chain plans to offload 200 traditional pubs next year while building “at least 25 new pubs” focusing on its “F-Plan” to target “foodies, families, females and 40/50-somethings.”
The announcement comes as the brewer, responsible for brands such as Pedigree and Banks’s bitter, released its preliminary results for the year to 4 of October.
The group’s underlying revenue was up 1% to £787.6 million, while like-for-like sales at its food-focused and premium pubs rose 2.1% in the seven weeks to 22 November compared with the same period in 2013.
The average profit per pub was up 10% with like-for-like sales up 2% with sales boosted by the brewer’s Hobgoblin real ale, which saw sales rise by 4%.
Ralph Findlay, Marston’s chief executive, said: “We view the eating-out market in the UK, particularly for pubs, as attractive. There’s a sweet spot in the market around pubs significantly improving their offer to families since the smoking ban was introduced. Menus, service and quality have got better at a price point people can afford.”
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