United Kingdom : Jennings boost pub portfolio

Cumbrian brewery and leased-pub operator Jennings has continued its ambitious expansion programme with the acquisition of two more pubs, Times & Star published on June 1.

Just weeks after the £46 million takeover by Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries earlier this month, Jennings has added The Hare & Hounds in south Cumbria and The Brown Cow near Blackburn to its growing portfolio.

Jennings now has an estate of more than 125 leased and tenanted pubs, stretching from the Lake District to Lancashire, Cheshire, Yorkshire and the North East. The two deals go some way in backing W&DB’s claims that Jennings is safe in the new owners’ hands. A total of 39 jobs have gone since the Cockermouth brewery was taken over, although W&DB has pledged £250,000 investment into Jennings.

W&DB managing director Stephen Oliver said: “We have absolutely no plans to shut the brewery and mess about with the beer.

“The Campaign for Real Ale (Camra) has been asking us to give a 10-year commitment, but frankly we haven’t got that at our breweries in Wolverhampton or Burton.

“For as long as drinkers in Cumbria and beyond drink Jennings beers and go to Jennings pubs, we are absolutely committed to Jennings.”

The deal to buy the Hare & Hounds in Bowland Bridge, near Grange-over-Sands involved a substantial six-figure sum in a sale and lease-back deal and will strengthen Jennings’ presence in the south of the county. Jennings has also bought the Brown Cow, near Blackburn, in a six-figure deal.

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