Admiral Taverns Acquires Mountain Pub Company

Admiral Taverns, the UK’s leading community pub company is pleased to announce the acquisition of community pub operator Mountain Pub Company from specialist investment manager, Downing.

Led by Helen Standing, Mountain Pubs operates a portfolio of 10 high quality, wet-led, operator manged community pubs, which sit at the heart of several local communities across the North of England. Pubs include The Southport Coaster (Southport) and The White Hart (Todmorden).

Upon completion of the acquisition, the Mountain Pubs portfolio will sit as part of Admiral Taverns’ Proper Pubs business, led by Nathan Wall. Proper Pubs is the award-winning community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns, which operates 245 pubs across England, Scotland and Wales.

The acquisition marks the latest step forward in Admiral Taverns’ strategy to expand its nationwide footprint and cement its position as the UK’s leading community pub group. Backed by investors Proprium Capital Partners, the Group has a strong track record of profitable growth, with continuous and significant Capital Investment across its estate underpinning its focus on supporting entrepreneurial licensees and operators to run sustainable pub businesses.

Commenting, Chris Jowsey, Chief Executive of Admiral Taverns said: “On behalf of the entire team at Admiral Taverns I am delighted to welcome the Mountain Pub Company to Admiral Taverns. We have long admired the Mountain Pubs business and share the same unwavering passion for supporting community pubs across the country.

The Mountain Pub portfolio will sit as part of our Proper Pubs business, strengthening our footprint of affordable community pubs across the UK, offering everything from a great range of beers, welcoming atmosphere, sport and entertainment, the critical DNA that makes for a great local pub experience.”

Commenting, Helen Standing, CEO of Mountain Pubs said: “Mountain Pub Company launched with The Southport Coaster in November 2022, founded on an ambition to create high-quality, well-invested community pubs, growing to 10 pubs over two years. Mountain’s operating-partner model combines local entrepreneurship with clear operating standards, commercial discipline and central support, allowing each pub to develop its own identity and community offer.

It has been a pleasure to work alongside Downing throughout Mountain’s growth journey. Their support and background of investment in the sector has been instrumental in helping us build a strong and successful pub business. We are pleased that Admiral Tavern’s experienced operator-managed team will continue to invest in and grow Mountain.”

Notes To Editors:

Admiral Taverns

Admiral Taverns (“Admiral”) is the UK’s number one community pub group. Headquartered in Chester; the Group operates a national estate of over 1,300 predominantly wet-led community pubs. Admiral’s unique operational approach has earnt industry recognition with the Group winning Best Community Pub Operator at the 2024 Publican Awards, whilst also being shortlisted for Best Partnership Pub Company (501+ Sites). In 2019, 2016 and 2013, Admiral Taverns won Best Leased and Tenanted Pub Company at the Publican Awards and ranked highly commended as Best Community Pub Operator in 2017. The Group has also been consistently highly rated by licensees in the industry’s independent annual Tenant Track survey, exceeding the scores of all its national peers.

Proper Pubs

Its Proper Pubs division is always looking for ways to support its communities through an annual schedule of events and fundraising initiatives. This year over Easter it collected 21,619 Easter eggs donated to local charities and in 2025 operators collected 17,500 selection boxes to donate to local charities and communities in need for Christmas, as well as raising £80,255 for Admiral Taverns’ charity partner, Claire House Hospice. Last year, Proper Pubs also successfully donated enough food to local foodbanks across the UK to feed 1,300 people for a week and has also been recognised in the UK-wide defibrillator installation campaign which has already saved 11 lives.

In 2026, Proper Pubs was listed as a finalist in the Best Community Pub category at the Great British Publican Awards and was previously crowned Community Pub Operator at the Publican Awards in 2024.

Downing

Downing is an investment manager with over 40 years of experience, managing £2.6 billion of assets as at 31 March 2026. It provides investment solutions for institutional investors, advisers, and private investors across public and private markets.

Downing focuses on putting expertise and capital to work where it counts, backing people, scaling businesses, and investing in areas that require specialist knowledge and a long-term approach. Its strategies span renewable energy, private equity, private credit and specialist public market mandates, as well as offering tax-efficient products.

For further information please contact Kate Hoare/Polly Clarke/Amy Keane via Admiral@brandpotential.com.

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