10/02/2026 09:03:00
Punch Pubs & Co has completed the acquisition of 30 pubs from family-owned brewer and pub operator McMullen's, strengthening its estate across Hertfordshire and Essex, reports The Morning Advertiser. The pubs, which include the Millstream in Hertford, the Great Eastern Tavern in Hertford and the George IV in Sawbridgeworth, are described as having strong trading histories, established community positions and distinctive heritage. Punch said the deal represents a small but strategically important addition to its estate as it continues to pursue targeted.
Urban Pubs & Bars has posted record EBITDA of £23m in the year to January 2026, confirms The Caterer. This was an increase of £5m on earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation recorded in its full-year results for the 52-week period ended 27 April 2025. Meanwhile, in its full-year results to April 2025, Urban Pubs & Bars posted a profit before tax of £1.7m, up from £656,000 the previous year. It also achieved turnover of £39.1m, a 32.6% increase on last year's £29.5m, which it attributed to the opening of a further seven sites.
Pub operator and brewer Hall & Woodhouse has revealed it invested more than £2.5m into its Business Partner (tenanted) pubs in 2025, writes Pub & Bar. The investment included a £250,000 on a major renovation of the historic Dolphin Hotel in Bovey Tracey, Devon, which the business acquired in 2021. Hall & Woodhouse says it has continued to invest heavily in maintaining its entire estate over the last 12 months, adapting to changes in consumer trends towards casual dining and coffee. At The Dolphin, the company completely renovated the main pub areas to create a space designed to welcome all-day trade. The business has a collection of c.150 pubs that make up its managed house and tenanted estate.
Restaurateurs Richard and Oliver Gladwin have announced the purchase of The Black Horse in Amberley, West Sussex, marking their first pub with rooms. The Black Horse will be their sixth site overall, their first opening outside London, and their first venture into bedrooms, writes Boutique Hotelier. Following a soft refurbishment, the pub will reopen on March 25 with 11 rooms. Through their Local & Wild restaurant group, the brothers have built a reputation for using wild, local, and sustainable British produce, which for The Black Horse will come almost exclusively from Sussex and nearby counties.
Criterion Capital has officially opened a 532-room Moxy hotel at Piccadilly Circus in partnership with Marriott International, writes Hotel Owner. The project involved the conversion of the upper floors of the Criterion Building from former office space into the largest Moxy hotel outside New York. The development focused on the adaptive reuse of the existing site rather than demolition. Criterion Capital, which is a major landowner in the Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square corridor, stated that the project was designed to revitalise the property as a hospitality asset while preserving its heritage.
Mitchells & Butlers (M&B) has revealed significant upgrade plans for three of its Castle Pubs, including a refresh of the bedrooms at The Crown & Greyhound in Dulwich. As part of a combined investment, The Crown & Greyhound, The White Horse in Parsons Green and The Sun in Bournemouth will each undergo a complete transformation. Each pub will debut refreshed interiors, enhanced event spaces, improved pub gardens and new menus focused on 'seasonal, British comfort classics', reports Boutique Hotelier.
Camerons to sell four sites following strategic overview of estate, reports The Morning Advertiser.