The group of investors in Cirrus Inns, the new vehicle set up to operate a premium estate of pub freeholds with rooms, includes the de Carvalho family, the controlling shareholder of Heineken, and 333 Holdings, the private investment company, M&C Report has learnt.
It is understood that the de Carvalhos have made a personal investment into the new venture, which is being headed up by 333 Holdings founder Alex Langlands Pearse (Langy).
Cirrus Inns, which has been co-founded by Langy; Mark Askew, outgoing executive head chef at Gordon Ramsay Holdings; and Charles Butterworth, who is currently a managing director at Experian, is seen as an evolution of 333 Holdings.
The company, which is debt free, plans to build an estate of up to 40 freehold pubs with accommodation across the south of England over the next five years and is thought to have already got a pipeline of 10 sites in place.
The first site in the group’s portfolio is 333 Holdings’ the Admiral Codrington pub in London’s Chelsea, which will also act as a head office.
The new venture, which features Polly Dyson, formerly of Geronimo Inns as finance director, will focus on individual standalone food-led sites that can support accommodation based in countryside communities and will back talented and passionate pub operators.
The operating model will be similar to that of a franchise operation and will appeal to entrepreneurial operators.
Cirrus, which is debt free, plans to build an estate of up to 40 freehold pubs with accommodation across the south of England over the next five years and is thought to have already got a pipeline of 10 sites in place.
It is understood that the group has approached Fuller’s to be its main ale supplier, with a local brewer to be also used in each site dependent on location.
Askew, who will leave GRH at the end of this year, will oversee operations, with Ella de Beer, formerly operations manager at the Meredith Group, becoming operations director. Jean Taylor, who was previously a regional estates executive at Punch Taverns, has taken up the role of property director.
As part of the evolution of 333 Holdings, Vingt-Quatre, the 24-hour restaurant and bar based in London, in which it owns a majority stake, will be placed in separate company.
It is understood that the company is currently looking at possible locations in both London and other major UK cities to open two further sites under the concept.
Earlier this year, the company appointed Simon Prideaux, who ran his own restaurant, Tartine in Kensington and previously worked for the group, as managing director of the business to oversee the revamp of the original site and the expansion plans.
