Cirrus Inns, the investment vehicle launched to back a premium estate of freehold pubs with rooms, has appointed Paul Boyce, formerly food and beverage director at De Vere Hotels and Village Urban Resorts, as its new operations director, M&C Report understands.
Boyce’s appointment to the 12-strong group, which earlier this year raised a further £15m toward its continued expansion, comes as it secures its latest pub, the Seagrave Arms in Weston Subedge, in the Cotswolds.
He spent two years at De Vere Hotels and Village Urban Resorts and over three years as commercial operations director at Searcys. Previous to that, Boyce was food and beverage director at Malmaison & Hotel Du Vin.
The 12-strong company, which is led by Alex Langlands Pearse (Langy), raised the funding via its existing shareholders and plans to use the new investment to push its estate past the 20-pub market by the end of this year.
The previous owners of the Seagrave Arms were the Denton family, who have sold the hotel to Cirrus Inns for an undisclosed sum.
M&C Report understands that Cirrus is currently in talks on a number of further openings.
The group, which operates sites including the iconic The Punchbowl in London’s Mayfair and the Yew Tree Inn in Berkshire, has spent the previous 12 months strengthening its operations team and enchancing the offer across its estate as it gears up for further expansion.
Other pubs under the Cirrus umbrella include the Dundas Arms near Newbury; the Old House in Copthorne, West Sussex; the Museum in Blandford, Dorset; and the Archangel in Frome, Somerset.
It is thought that the group is aiming to eventually invest in up to 30 pubs, has already built up a database of “talented” entrepreneurs who wish to operate one of its investment sites.
