£2m boost for dozen resort pubs (From Gazette & Herald)

£2m boost for dozen resort pubs

A dozen pubs in the Scarborough area are benefiting from a £2 million investment programme by owners Punch Taverns.

The company is half way through its schedule of refurbishing pubs in and around Scarborough, having already spent in excess of £1 million so far this year.

Four more investments are planned for completion during the next 12 months, with others to follow as Punch completes a record-breaking year of investments across its 8,000-strong estate.

Some of the more significant projects include Scarborough's Victoria Hotel, which had £435,000 worth of improvements earlier this year, including a new restaurant and 19 extra letting rooms. Major work has also been carried out at the Blacksmiths Arms, Cayton.

Further work is still to be completed on the Equestrian Hotel, where more than £300,000 will be spent on a complete refurbishment.

Chris Welham, regional operations director for Punch, said: "We have spent a record £50 million in our estate this year and projects in the Scarborough area have been a major part of that investment.

"This clearly illustrates our commitment to support our pubs and help retailers develop their businesses. Taking a pub lease with us is an attractive proposition because the start-up costs are significantly lower than buying a freehold. Beyond that we provide award-winning training, business and marketing expertise.

"With investment projects retailers are guided through the process by their business relationship manager and we then enlist the skills of professional architects, builders and designers who bring the vision to life."

Punch's nationwide investment has risen by 60 per cent in the current financial year. Recruitment inquiries are running at double that of last year and more than 25,000 calls from potential applicants have been received in the past 12 months.

Punch is one of the UK's largest operators of leased and tenanted pubs with more than 8,000 outlets across the country.

The full list of refurbished outlets is: Black Horse, Whitby; Victoria Hotel, Scarborough; Black Swan, Whitby; Blacksmiths Arms, Cayton; Prince of Wales, Scarborough; Trafalgar, Scarborough.

Work is still to be completed on the Gate Inn, Malton; Burton Stone Inn, York; Equestrian Hotel, Scarborough and the Grapes, Ebberston.

Updated: 16:24 Thursday, October 27, 2005