Yorkshire pub group entrepreneur raises a glass to success

HE has six thriving pubs and a hotel under his belt, but where’s the future heading for Yorkshire entrepreneur Michael Ibbotson, the man behind the award-winning Provenance Inns?

Marking 15 years of family ownership at The Durham Ox in Crayke this year, as well as a ‘Pub Group of the Year’ appointment in The Good Pub Guide 2015 for his seven-strong Provenance Inns group, which he owns with business partner Chris Blundell – the 43-year-old has a lot to celebrate.

As the first pub in the Provenance Inns group, the Ox became the blueprint for Michael and Chris’s future establishments, which now include The Black Bull, Moulton; The Carpenters Arms, Felixkirk; The Crown and Cushion, Welburn; The Oak Tree, Helperby and The Punch Bowl in Marton cum Grafton, as well as the latest addition, the West Park Hotel in Harrogate.

“It was here at the Durham Ox that Chris and I mulled over the Provenance Inns philosophy over a pint,” Ibbotson said. “And it was the birthplace of the idea that a great inn can take its food and beer seriously, and have this delivered by professional staff to high standards, without losing its charm or character… or the characters that frequent it.”

Last year, the pub group launched its first boutique hotel, the West Park, in Harrogate, following a multi-million pound 18-month refurbishment.

The West Park has been transformed from the original Victorian coach house into a 25-bedroom and suite hotel with a restaurant and bar overlooking the Harrogate Stray in the centre of town.

“West Park Hotel has been our largest investment and is the first hotel we have done,” Ibbotson said. “It was a significant multi-million pound investment.”

Investment has been a key theme for the group.

“All of our properties needed a lot of love,” Ibbotson said.

“It took a lot of love, a lot of investment and a lot of future planning for development.

“We have spent a lot of money on individual businesses because we’re not in it for the short-term.  We wanted to future proof what we were doing.”

Looking ahead, although Ibbotson says the he doesn’t have any immediate plans for further investment, when he does, the group will consider buildings with accommodation options.

“We’re planning on expanding the hotel side of the business,” he said.

“ We’re looking at things all the time for investment.

“Thing like car parking is important, being able to expand the business is important and demographic of the village is important.”

In the Black Bull, there are 16 bedrooms being built. “That’s a major thing for us and it is now more of a hotel than a pub. It’s very exciting and will be ready for summer.

“It’s an exciting time for Provenance Inns. We are probably going to expand, but we’ve no plans to at the moment.”

For the year ahead, Ibbotson said he is mostly looking forward to focusing on the business.

“This year, we’re looking forward to building up the business and developing the business we have already got,” he said. “And looking after the customers we already have and welcoming the new ones.”

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