Fuller’s Aims for 1,000 Bedrooms
Chiswick-based pub firm and brewer Fuller, Smith & Turner aims to take the number of bedrooms in its pub estate to 1,000 within two years, one of its directors has revealed.
The news comes shortly after Fuller’s announced that it was acquiring the six-strong Bel & The Dragon group of pubs with rooms, in a deal expected to completed next month.
The acquisition takes the number of bedrooms across the Fuller’s estate to 781, up from about 200 about a decade ago.
Fuller’s Inns managing director Jonathon Swaine told The Caterer that around 15% of Fuller’s managed pubs now have bedrooms, with consumer demand for the offer continuing to grow.
“We have been able to respond to a consumer need. People are more willing to seek out something different and that is where the pub comes in. People’s lifestyles have changed a bit and they are more prepared to spend parts of their leisure time in different parts of the UK,” he said.
“The target that I have within my team is 1,000 bedrooms in the next two years. There’s a mixture of opportunities in our existing business and hopefully we can acquire one or two more properties.”
Swaine said Fuller’s has been trying to prioritise long-term investment in rooms wherever possible.
“Generally we get good returns, customers like them, and it is a third arm to the business which gives us a bit of an edge in the marketplace. We find the participation of guests who come downstairs and have a drink at the bar and a bite to eat is generally very good – north of 50%.”
Bel & The Dragon, which has pubs in Berkshire, Hampshire and Surrey with a total of 57 bedrooms, was sold to Fuller’s by Longshot, headed up by Joel Cadbury and Ollie Vigors.
Longshot is the owner of Beaverbrook, the luxury country house hotel and exclusive golf club which opened in Leatherhead, Surrey, last year following a £90m renovation.
Fuller’s Pub with Rooms
The Albert Arms – Esher, Surrey
The Bear of Burton – Christchurch, Dorset
The Blackbird – Earls Court, London
The Bull Hotel – Bridport, Dorset
The Bull Inn – Sonning-on-Thames, Berkshire
The Chamberlain – Tower Bridge, London
The Counting House – Bank, London
The Cromwell Arms – Ramsey, Hampshire
The Crown Inn – Bishops Waltham, Hampshire
The Drayton Court – Ealing, London
The Fox & Goose – Ealing, London
The Half Moon – Herne Hill, London
The Hampshire Hog – Clanfield, Hampshire
The Hand & Flower – Hammersmith, London
The Head of the River – Oxford, Oxfordshire
The King’s Arms – Woodstock, Oxfordshire
The Mad Hatter Hotel – Southwark, London
The Narrowboat – Reading, Berkshire
The Pilgrim Inn – Marchwood, Hampshire
The Pilot Inn – Greenwich, London
The Princess Royal – Runfold, Surrey
The Queen’s Head – Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey
The Red Lion Hotel – Hillingdon, Middlesex
The Sanctuary House – Westminster, London
The Swan Hotel – Staines, Surrey
The Swan Hotel – Arundel, West Sussex
The Wellington Hotel – Waterloo, London
The White Buck – Burley, Hampshire
The White Hart Inn – Stockbridge, Hampshire
The White Hart Hotel – Kingston-Upon-Thames, Surrey
The White Star Tavern – Southampton, Hampshire
The White Swan Hotel – Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire
The Wykeham Arms – Winchester, Hampshire
Article is taken from The Caterer
