Nottingham Brewery has taken on its third pub, finished the refurbishment and rebranding of its second and is now eyeing the launch of a licensed café concept, M&C has learnt.
The group yesterday took over the Ned Ludd in the city’s Friar Lane. The site was acquired from Great Northern Inns, which has said it wants to concentrate on its other four pubs as well as its Copper Café concept, which will grow to three with a city centre location to launch in the next few weeks.
Managing director Philip Darby told M&C the changes to the pub would be purely cosmetic – with the introduction of the Nottingham Brewery branding and an increased focus on cask ale.
He said: “It’s a perfect site for us both in terms of the location and the way it already operates. It’s a good old-fashioned pub but with a modern feel. We will continue to have a strong craft ale range but we will be looking to add in another few handpulls.”
The company is also relaunching the Bricklayers Arms in the Nottinghamshire village of Ruddington, which came into the estate through the acquisition of a majority shareholding in Harvey & Coombes Pub Co in June.
It will be called the Frame Breakers Arms – a name which, like the Ned Ludd, reflects Nottingham’s central role in the Luddite movement.
Darby said his focus for the next few months would be on the brewery, first through the Robin Hood pub and then in preparation for Christmas. He said operations manager Andy Heath would concentrate on the relaunch of the latest two outlets.
However, he said in the new year the company would be seeking new sites. Last year the company came close to setting up a venture with the Damn Fine Coffee Company, run by Darby’s son, George.
Darby said: “Coffee and beer share a lot in common and the rising interest in craft brewing has many parallels with the period when people were waking up to the range of quality available in the coffee sector.
“The idea is to combine the best of both – to run a really good specialist coffee shop in the day and a bar with a great range of beers in the evening.”
