JW Lees boosts top team amid acquisitions drive

FAMILY-owned North West brewer JW Lees has stregthened its senior team with the appointment of Chris Moulson as director of pub operations.

The Middleton-based group, which is on the hunt for acquisitions having agreed a new £10m funding line from Royal Bank of Scotland, said more than 100 people had applied for the post filled by Mr Moulson.

Mr Moulson was previously operations director (North) of Spirit Leased Pub Company after spending 10 years at Punch Taverns where he started as a business relationship manager.

William Lees-Jones, managing director of JW Lees, said, ‘We advertised the position and were impressed with the calibre of most of the 100 or so applications.  We are looking forward to Chris joining us and making his mark on the JW Lees pub business.  

“We won The Publican award for being the best community pub operator of the year in 2012 and believe that community is at the heart of every JW Lees pub’.

Mr Lees-Jones said the group which owns 30 pubs across the North West, North Wales and Yorkshire and lets a further 142 to self-employed tenants, is looking for around 10 new sites in this area.

“We’re looking for pubs across the board – we have a mixed estate and although food is very much more of our business now we would not rule out buying good quality wet-led pubs.”