South west-based pub operator Buccaneer Holdings has opened its eighth site, a leasehold pub owned by cider maker Weston’s.
Weston’s bought the freehold of the Walwyn Arms, located close to the Stowford Press producer’s Much Marcle base in Herefordshire, from Punch Taverns last year for an undisclosed sum.
Buccaneer has taken a free-of-tie lease on the pub, which has been extended with a new bar and restaurant.
Recent months and years has seen a rise in the number of breweries taking on pubs, aided by more pubco disposals making prices more affordable, along with the general rise in popularity of cask ale. There has been no such trend for cider producers.
However, a spokeswoman for Weston’s denied that the company plans to take on more sites. “There’s no intention at this stage for it to be the first of many.”
