Brakspear, the Oxfordshire-based pub operator, is set to open its third managed site, M&C Report has learnt.
The Running Horses in Mickleham, Surrey, was bought by Brakspear in autumn 2012 and leased back to the owners, who have now retired. Brakspear has appointed Robin Taylor, who managed the site for 11 years, as general manager.
The company plans a “major refurbishment” at the pub “with the aim of extending the atmosphere of the traditional bar into the restaurant”, which is currently a separate area, to create a “more unified feel throughout the pub”. There are plans to upgrade the five letting rooms.
The company opened its first managed pub, the Bull on Bell Street in Henley, last March. The second managed site, the Royalist in Stow-on-the-Wold, opened in September.
Chief executive Tom Davies said: “We’re delighted to add the Running Horses to our managed estate, and to have retained Robin and his irreplaceable knowledge of the pub and its customers.
“Our three managed sites are very different from each other and we’re not trying to create a portfolio of identikit pubs. So when we took on the Running Horses, which is already a very successful site, we didn’t rush in to refurbish it to a particular ‘Brakspear’ design, but thought hard about what would work best. The changes, though significant in terms of our investment, will be visually subtle and we’re confident the pub’s customers will love them.
“While we look at every pub individually, we of course want to apply consistent standards and share best practice across our managed estate.”
Brakspear operations manager Mat Aket, who oversees all three managed sites, is developing an operations and training structure, which includes monthly training for all general managers and weekly staff training sessions in each pub. In addition, managers and staff are placed in other sites as appropriate, either as part of pre-opening training, or to improve their skills in a particular area.
