Peter Borg-Neal, chief executive of Oakman Inns, has told M&C Report that he is on the verge of agreeing deals on two new sites.
The acquisitions will bring the operator to 13 outlets, taking into account another three that are due to open soon. Oakman’s joint venture with Downing Pub Enterprise Investment Scheme Fund will open next week. The former Cook and Fillet near Aylesbury has been renamed the Akeman Inn and undergone a full refurbishment over the last two months.
In the New Year Oakman will open the White Hart in Bedfordshire and the Kings Inn at Ongar.
Borg-Neal said: “We should be able to announce another two in the next couple of weeks. I can’t say much about them but we’re very excited. I think you’ll understand why when we are able to talk about it.”
On future prospects Borg-Neal said: “For me it’s not important that we are the biggest pub company but that we are the best. I don’t want growth for the sake of it. I want to make sure that every part of the business is the best that it can be. We have recently started a graduate training scheme and that has been really stimulating. We have some very bright kids asking questions and it helps us all to strive for more.”
This week Oakman Inns joined the London Stock Exchange’s ELITE programme, designed to support “high growth private companies”.
Borg-Neal said: “It’s an opportunity to get outside input – to look at our strategy and see what other people are doing. It allows us to see what other industries are doing and what lessons we can learn. I think we can benefit a lot from this.”
