Pub group completes cool deal for food preparation unit

A Derbyshire-based pub group has taken the lease on a 5,163 sq ft unit in Walton-on-Trent to facilitate its growth plans.

Chilled Pubs Group, which operates six pubs including The Bull’s Head at Repton and The Blue Stoops in Dronfield, will use the modern food grade unit at Oaklands farm for storage, food preparation and brewing purposes.

Burton-based Rushton Hickman completed the letting to the well-established group.

Travis Toyne, commercial director at Chilled Pubs, said: “We chose this location as it is central to our current pubs and was only 1 mile from our previous smaller unit where the central team used to operate from. We needed somewhere that ticked the boxes for the company, but also our team who already worked in our central kitchen.

“We chose this unit as it gives us gives us consistency across our pubs, offers great growth opportunities, and the biggest opportunity for us is to be able to utilise the location of being on a dairy farm and explore the possibility of making Jersey Milk Gelato, having our own milk, and making our own butter.”

He added: “I would like to personally thank Simon and the team at Rushton Hickman for providing high levels of customer service, from identifying potential property options when we starting to look for a site originally and subsequently for continuing to deliver on communication and getting lease terms agreed between ourselves and the landlord.”

Simon Walker, commercial property agent at Rushton Hickman, said: “I met Travis at another property, which didn’t quite meet with his requirements and advised him that he should view the unit that he has now leased without delay. I arranged access with my client and we both headed off to view that unit immediately, as finding the right property and completing the lease within a swift timescale was particularly important to Travis.

“Naturally, Chilled Pubs, the landlord and Rushton Hickman are all delighted to have completed on this lease deal.”