Pub owner reports encouraging start to year

The owner of Butcombe Pubs and Inns has reported an encouraging start to the year.

Liberation Group says it has successfully completed the integration of Cirrus Inns into its Butcombe business.

North Somerset brewer Butcombe operates a chain of pubs and inns across the South West.

The South of England and Channel Islands pub operator and brewer completed the acquisition of Cirrus Inns on 16 December 2022.

Chief executive Jonathan Lawson said: “I’m delighted and really impressed with the progress we have made since Christmas.

“We are now in the position where all 22 of the new Pubs and Inns are fully integrated into our systems, processes and infrastructure and trading under the Butcombe brand.

“Part of the logic behind the deal was to leverage the benefits of scale that the larger group would bring, and we have already been able to do this across food and drink, to the benefit of the entire group, in both the UK and Channel Islands.

“This also includes our accommodation where we now have over 400 rooms, compared to under 100 in 2020. We are now able to operate at a different level in terms of marketing appeal and our higher room sales has additional and positive impact on our food and drink sales and margin mix.”

Updating on the trading performance of Liberation Group Lawson added “We delivered a strong year of trading last year across Pubs and Drinks in all markets, culminating in a strong Christmas.  We are encouraged by the start we have made this year, despite weather in the spring that has frequently felt like winter. Our investment into external areas over the last few years puts us in a strong position to capitalise on the sun when it finally arrives.”

Looking forward, the outlook for the rest of this year remains uncertain given the stubbornly high inflation rates, rising interest rates and the resulting impact on consumers’ disposable income.