Bath Pub Company acquired by St Austell Brewery

The Bath Pub Company, which operates four pubs in and around the city, has been acquired by Cornwall-based St Austell Brewery.

The deal means St Austell Brewery will add The Locksbrook Inn, The Moorfields, The Hare & Hounds, and The Marlborough Tavern (pictured) to its roster of 184 pubs in the South West.

The Locksbrook Inn, The Moorfields and The Hare & Hounds will join St Austell Brewery’s 43-strong managed pub estate, while The Marlborough Tavern – a stone's throw from the world-famous Royal Cresent – will become part of its leased and tenanted estate will continue to be operated by Justin Sleath, The Bath Pub Company’s co-founder and commercial director.

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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.”

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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.”