20 jobs to be created with £1m gastro pub investment
The owners of Swithland’s The Griffin Inn are investing £1m into the renovation of the pub, in conjunction with Everards.
The Leicestershire gastro pub forms part of The Cat & Wickets Pub Company, owned by ex-England cricketers Harry Gurney and Stuart Broad. Over the past year, £75,000 has been spent on refreshing the pub’s interiors and creating an elevated courtyard. A further £1m is to be spent on further renovations, with work due to start Tuesday 2 January.
The kitchen will be overhauled to double its existing size and will include fully electric equipment. The Old Stables will be transformed into an additional dining space, creating 80 more covers. Some 30 additional covers will also be created in the courtyard as part of the planned work.
The management team anticipates a 60% increase in turnover following the renovations, which will equate to a 60% uplift in available working hours. Some 20 new jobs will be created.
The management team hope to reopen the pub’s doors in March.
Gurney said: “We’re really excited about this next round of renovations. I’m a Loughborough lad, and Stuart and I both know that we are simply caretakers of a pub that has meant a lot to the local community for hundreds of years. We promise to continually nurture and cherish it, while always looking for new and innovative ways to improve the customer experience along the way.”
Matt Crehan, business relationship manager at Everards, said: “We’re delighted to work with the Griffin team to bring their vision for the pub to life. In 2023, we’ve invested over £4 million in supporting our business owners with repairs and investments. We look forward to kickstarting 2024 by supporting the Griffin and the Swithland community by investing in their pub.”
