{"id":5525,"date":"2025-07-28T09:21:58","date_gmt":"2025-07-28T09:21:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/?p=5525"},"modified":"2025-07-28T09:21:58","modified_gmt":"2025-07-28T09:21:58","slug":"trade-news-july-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2025\/07\/28\/trade-news-july-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Trade news – July 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wetherspoons news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the last pubs on the JDW disposals list from 2023 has finally closed.\u00a0 The photo shows members of CAMRA\u2019s West London branch having a last drink in the Plough & Harrow<\/a><\/strong>, Hammersmith.<\/p>\n\n\n

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There is still a JDW pub in Hammersmith, the William Morris<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the company has announced that it has put six more sites up for sale.\u00a0 Two of them are in London: Baxter\u2019s Court<\/a> <\/strong>in Mare Street, Hackney and the Kentish Drovers<\/strong><\/a> in Peckham.\u00a0 The pubs are both freehold.\u00a0 The six are available as a package or individually.\u00a0 A company spokesperson repeated their usual comment, \u201cWetherspoon does, on occasion, put some of its pubs up for sale.\u00a0 This is a commercial decision by the company<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 The pubs will remain open until they are sold.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, the Walham Green<\/strong><\/a>, fashioned out of the Grade II-listed former booking hall of Fulham Broadway Underground station at a reported cost of \u00a33 million, opened on 8 July. \u00a0We understand that many of the staff from the Plough & Harrow have transferred to here.\u00a0 It was busy when I visited on 10 July. This had previously been a Market Hall site, one of several street food venues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It has been decided that the new pub in Merchant Square, Paddington Basin will be called the Sir Alexander Fleming.\u00a0 Much of the development work on penicillin was carried out at the nearby St Mary\u2019s Hospital.\u00a0 There was a pub of this name in Bouverie Place<\/strong><\/a> but this closed in 2017.\u00a0 We understand that it has been gutted and remains vacant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reopening of the Barking Dog has been put back to 2027 at least.\u00a0 The original pub closed in 2022 and the plan is that a replacement pub will form the ground floor of the rebuilt Trocoll House.\u00a0 The project has however been somewhat delayed and, to date, only two floors out of 28 have been built.\u00a0 With thanks to Colin Price for the update.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fuller\u2019s results<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the year to 29 March 2025, the pub company saw its revenue increase by 4.8% to \u00a3376.3 million.  Profit before tax increased by 32% to \u00a327 million.  At this year\u2019s AGM, Michael Turner will be retiring as chair after 18 years.  In his place, chief executive Simon Emeny is being promoted to executive chair with Fred Turner becoming chief operating officer.  According to one report, one of Mr Turner\u2019s responsibilities will be to \u2018leverage the synergies\u2019.  Mr Emeny commented that the company\u2019s low level of debt gives them \u2018plenty of firepower to add further \u2018high quality assets\u2019 to their portfolio.  The company however faces additional \u00a38 million costs from the increases in national minimum wage and employers\u2019 national insurance contributions.  Mr Emeny said he hoped that the increase in prices by 15p a pint in March would cover this but they would need a \u2018strong year\u2019.  He was however encouraged by the start to the new financial year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young\u2019s news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the year ended 31 March 2025, Young\u2019s saw their revenue grow by 5.7% to \u00a3485.8 million, with adjusted operating profit increasing by \u00a314.1 million to \u00a371.4 million.  This continued into the first quarter of the new financial year with revenue up by 6.6%.  Chief executive Simon Dodd commented, \u201cOur business is performing well and we are confident about the year ahead<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aldrich Inns<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This relatively new pub company now operates three pubs in London.\u00a0 As reported in Pub News, they have acquired the freehold of the Newman Arms<\/a><\/strong> in Fitzrovia.\u00a0 They are also leasing the Goat<\/strong><\/a> (originally Ye Goat in Boots) in Chelsea, which is currently being refurbished.\u00a0 Their third and most recent acquisition is the Freemasons Arms<\/a><\/strong> in Covent Garden, which was previously operated by Shepherd Neame.\u00a0 It is also being refurbished and will reopen under the unique name the Bull & Egret.\u00a0 The privately funded company say that their mission is to \u2018breathe life back into heritage-rich pubs that might otherwise fall by the wayside<\/em>\u2019 and that they are looking to make \u2018further opportunistic acquisitions\u2019 in London.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oakman Group<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oakman operate some 30 pubs in the counties around London, although only one in London itself.\u00a0 The company suffered a serious setback in April when chief executive Peter Borg-Neal, who founded the company in 2007, had to step down because of ill health.\u00a0 Subsequently, ten pubs were sold to the Restaurant Group (TRG) who will integrate them into their Brunning & Price chain.\u00a0 Oakman\u2019s remaining pubs, mostly leaseholds, are currently being marketed. Since the printed edition of this magazine went to press, the group has collapsed into administration. 14 pubs have been sold to Upham, 3 to McMullens whilst six have had to close.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stonegate buyout<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Stonegate took over Enterprise Inns, it inherited a joint venture called Frontier Pubs, who operate 15 pubs in London.  Stonegate have now bought out the other partners and will be absorbing Frontier\u2019s pubs into its leased and tenanted division.  For the year ended September 2024, Frontier had revenue of \u00a311.6 million and a pre-tax profit of \u00a3353,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Stonegate have sold and leased back a group of nine pubs in London.\u00a0 There have also been several individual sales. Full details of these sales can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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