Time to map out a plan for Villa's future
- Says blogger Matthew Turvey
Marston’s unveil £140m pub plan
Thursday 18th June 2009, 9:22AM BST.
Banks’s brewer Marston’s have unveiled a £140 million scheme to build new large family pubs that could create more than 600 jobs a year.
The pubs will cost between £2million and £2.8million apiece.
They are designed to cater for “food, families, females and forty/fifty somethings, with a focus on value” – dubbed the “F-Plan” by Marston’s.
The template used by the Wolverhampton-based beer and pubs group would be popular pubs, like the Spread Eagle at Gailey.
Marston’s, which brews Banks’s and Pedigree ales, is raising £176million by issuing nearly 300 million new shares. Around £140 million will be used for the pub plan, and the rest to pay off existing debt.
Chief executive Ralph Findlay reckons the recession had created the opportunity to snap up attractive pub sites and competitive prices.
The plan is to open around 15 new pubs between now and October, then 20-25 a year after that.
At the same time Marston’s will buy up sites to add to its ‘land bank’ for future development.
Each pub employs around 25 people – half of them part time – meaning the F-Plan could create up to 625 jobs a year nationwide.
But the plan and the right issues failed to find favour with City investors, as Marston’s shares slumped more than eight per cent in early trading, down 11.5p to 128.75p.
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Templated on the Spread Eagle at Gailey!???? These will be ones to avoid then. What is needed is proper trad pubs with loads of pokey little rooms, pubs that sell scratchings, nuts, crisps and crusty cheese cobs rather than restaurant open plan type plastic places!!
And the biggest downfall on this plan – we want pubs with decent beer!
Impressed by this news… not a bit!
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Good old John Marston, a great Victorian bloke!
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Why can’t they save all the popular little pubs that are shutting down instead of trying to change pubs into something they’re not. The Spread Eagle at Gailey has been ruined. No to american styled tacky plastic resturants…
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spend 140 million making your beer right! The Clarendon is supposed the brewery tap and they ruined that too
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why don’t they just do the easy thing
DROP THE PRICES ( oops silly me that’s to easy )
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Agree with all of the above.
We need more pubs like The Maverick in Amblecote that sell a decent and wide selection of ale,has a friendly atmosphere and you don’t feel uncomfortable popping in for just a drink.
Absolutely sick of these food pubs we really don’t need any more.And if they’ve got to build some they should look at the White Rose in Bilston for inspiration.
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Large family pubs ? What if you have’nt got a large family?
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As Marston’s own the lease on the Manor House, why dont they get that place up and running… Great family pub, also many little rooms for couples / mates to sit in away from families – and it wont cost 2.2 million………..
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I,m afraid the old traditional pub is nearly gone and its this labour goverment to blame, eg smoking ban, the amount of tax on beers and wines.. At the end of the day marstons are going with the flow and giving family,s what they want and at the same time creating jobs which is a good thing. So i,ll say ya can keep yer thanksis i,ll have a pint of banksis…
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If J D Wetherspoons can sell good ales at less than £2.00 a pint ,tea & coffee plus a good choice of menu’s for all the family it’s no wonder folks are not going to other pubs/pubchains at their rip off prices.Pop into any ‘Spoons’ pub , always busy,and always good service.
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As an add-on to my previous comments, when I holiday in G.B imake sure that there is a Spoons pub in the locality …or I don’t go!!!
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Agree about the ‘spoons and holidays!
We always have at least one ‘spoons breakfast with a pint of two of decent beer when we go away… does the real business! :)
And why, when ‘Marstons’ owns such great breweries as Ringwood, Wychwood, and Jennings, do they (a) continue to brew such crud as Banks’ and Marstons in the first place and (b) not have beers from the former 3 breweries in their pubs – even as guest ales – except rarely?
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Get up the Beacon or Bulls Head in Sedgley , good beers & plentiful cheese / ham cobs with the alternative option of scratchings – class
Dont need no more of these places that target food with side option of beer ! .
SAVE the BRITISH BOOZER ! , its what made Britain GREAT ! .
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