Poppleston Allen help pub operator acquire 6 Cotswold sites

Alcohol licensing partner, James Anderson, of Poppleston Allen Solicitors has successfully helped pub company, Young’s, acquire 6 Cotswold sites from The Lucky Onion Group.

A team of licensing paralegals, led by James, managed a due-diligence project studying the existing premises licence permissions and spoke with the police, licensing and environmental health authorities for each of the premises.

Licensing due-diligence is a vital part of acquisitions, as problems found on premises licences can devalue businesses, and in worse-case scenarios, result in an investment aborting.

The venues Young’s have acquired include the:

• Wild Duck (Ewen, Cirencester);
• Crown (Minchinhampton, Stroud, Gloucester);
• Wheatsheaf (Cheltenham);
• Hollow Bottom (Cheltenham);
• Tavern (Cheltenham); and
• No.38 The Park (Cheltenham).

The Lucky Onion Group, which was founded in 2006 by Georgie and Sam Pearman before Superdry founder, Julian Dunkerton, took control in 2017, have retained their flagship No.131 bar, restaurant and hotel in Cheltenham.

The acquisition expands on Young’s current presence in the Cotswolds which includes the Blue Boar in Chipping Norton and the Bell in Stow-on-the-Wold and comes off the back of a rise in revenue of 183.9% to £149.6m in 2021 compared to 2020.

Commenting on the acquisition, James Anderson said: “I am delighted to have successfully helped Young’s gain a further 6 sites and I look forward to visiting when I’m in that part of the world.”

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