The former Whitbread managing director and Luminar executive chairman had a career spanning over six decades, and was described as a visionary publican, entrepreneur, and mentor
The UK leisure and hospitality sector lost one of its greats this month with the passing of Alexander Geffert — a visionary publican, entrepreneur, and mentor whose career spanned over six decades.
Alex began his career at just 20 years old with Watney Mann as an area sales representative. His passion for hospitality and appetite for adventure soon took him overseas, where he held positions in New York, San Francisco, and Chicago. Upon Watney Mann’s acquisition by Grand Metropolitan, Alex was appointed General Sales Manager of Coca-Cola Southern Bottlers.
His rise continued when he became director & general manager of St George’s Taverns, overseeing 130 large managed pubs across London. He later joined Whitbread, where he was responsible for more than 5,000 pubs across the South and South West. During the subsequent restructures, Alex was appointed managing director of the newly created Whitbread Hotel & Leisure Division and invited to join the retail board. In this role, he played a leading role in expanding the company into the golf and country club sector — acquiring and launching eight sites, including the now Marriot-owned Goodwood Park.
As a retail board member, Alex also helped to drive the growth of two of the UK’s most recognisable brands: Costa Coffee, which he saw grow from 41 stores to 3,884 globally today, and Premier Inn, now with over 800 locations.
Alex’s entrepreneurialism didn’t stop there. He became executive chairman of The Planet Ice Group — then the largest operator of ice rinks in Europe — and in 2011, he orchestrated the £45m rescue of Luminar Leisure, the world’s largest nightclub group at the time. He stepped in as executive chairman, helping stabilise and run the business ahead of its eventual rebrand to Deltic and later Rekom.
Throughout his career, Alex retained his entrepreneurial spirit, owning and operating a diverse portfolio of venues including bars, restaurants, and nightclubs across the West Midlands, South, South West, and Wales. These included iconic spots such as The Que Club in Birmingham, Mbargo in Bristol, and Le Monde and Soda Bar in Cardiff.
He was also a dedicated mentor, generously offering his expertise to help nurture talent in the sector. Among those he supported were Mark Derry and Ian Glyn, co-founders of Loch Fyne, and his long-time business partner Joe Heanen who continues to operate hospitality businesses in both Australian and the UK.
Remarkably, Alex continued working into his 80s, most recently exploring the revival of the Berni Inn brand, for which he owned the rights. His dedication to the industry was lifelong and unwavering.
Alex Geffert is survived by his beloved wife Margaret, five children, and nine grandchildren. He will be remembered not only as a titan of the hospitality world, but also as a generous, pioneering, and passionate publican — a true legend of the British leisure industry.
