Heartwood Collection, the award-winning hospitality group, has acquired the following sites from Whitbread Plc:
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The George & Dragon, Marlow
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The Red Lion, Stratford upon Avon
Both properties will undergo multi-million pound refurbishments with The George & Dragon becoming Heartwood’s seventh pub with rooms and is scheduled to reopen in 2025. The pubs join the seven other sites already confirmed by Heartwood for the next twelve months as part of its growth plan to reach over 60 sites by 2027.
The George & Dragon is a historic inn located in Marlow’s bustling town centre. The refurbishment will see its 17 rooms transformed into boutique bedrooms that reflect the town’s history and location on the River Thames. They will be infused with Heartwood’s signature warm, welcoming style with 200 internal covers in the spacious bar and dining room and a further 50 external covers.
The Red Lion is located on the canal in historic Stratford Upon Avon and just moments from the Royal Shakespeare Company. A listed building, the pub will be sympathetically renovated to create 175 internal covers across the bar and dining room with an additional 200 external covers created in the spacious garden.
Richard Ferrier, CEO of Heartwood Collection, said:
“We are absolutely delighted to have acquired these two iconic pubs from Whitbread. We have tracked them for a long time so to get them over the line is really pleasing. We will now invest significant time and capital in them.”
“Both the George & Dragon and the Red Lion will add a huge amount to our Heartwood Inns business. We have real momentum in our acquisition programme at present and a busy 12 months ahead.”
Press Contact
For any media enquiries please contact Emma Martin: emma.m@heartwoodcollection.com / 020 3166 2727
Notes to editors
Heartwood Collection is the Group that operates 25 Heartwood Inns pubs and 14 Brasserie Blanc restaurants across the UK. Heartwood Collection’s current site portfolio is as follows:
Inns
The Barley Mow – Englefield Green, Surrey
The Black Horse – Thame, Oxfordshire
The Black Horse – Reigate, Surrey
The Black Swan – Henley-in-Arden, Warwickshire
The Boot – Histon, Cambridgeshire
The Britannia – Parkstone, Dorset
The British Queen – Locksbottom, Kent
The Cricketers – Cobham, Surrey
The Hare – Old Redding, Harrow Weald, Middlesex
The Highwayman – Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
The Jobber’s Rest – Upminster, Essex
The Jolly Farmer – Chalfont St Peter, Buckinghamshire
The King’s Arms – Prestbury, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
The King’s Head – Teddington, Middlesex
The March Hare – Guildford, Surrey
The Oaks – Highcliffe, Christchurch, Dorset
The Plough & Harrow – Long Ditton, Surrey
The Queen’s Head – Weybridge, Surrey
The Quill & Scholar – Lichfield, Staffordshire
The Red Deer – Horsham, West Sussex
The Rising Sun – Reading, Berkshire
The Ropemaker – Emsworth, Hampshire
The Sun Inn – Chobham, Surrey
The White Bear – Ruislip, Middlesex
The White Horse – Dorking, Surrey
Upcoming openings
The White Hart – Lewes, East Sussex. Opening 1st October 2024
The Coat & Bear – Newbury, Berkshire. Opening October 2024
The Royal Forest – Epping Forest, Essex. Opening November 2024
The Prince of Wales – East Barnet, London. Opening Spring 2025
The Old Crown – Great Bookham, Surrey. Opening Spring 2025
The White Hart – Lymington, Hampshire. Opening Spring 2025
The Ragged Robin – Godalming, Surrey. Opening Spring 2025
The Woodman – Palmers Green, London. Opening Summer 2025
The George & Dragon – Marlow, Buckinghamshire. Opening Summer 2025
The Red Lion – Stratford upon Avon. Opening Summer 2025
Brasserie Blanc Restaurants
London – Chancery Lane
London – Fulham Reach
London – Southbank
London – Threadneedle Street
Beaconsfield
Bournemouth
Cheltenham
Chichester
Hale Barns
Leeds
Milton Keynes
Oxford
Portsmouth
Winchester
Heartwood Collection is backed by Alchemy Partners. Heartwood recently announced the news that Heartwood Collection recently secured an additional £100m of funding from its owner Alchemy Partners and its banking partner OakNorth to support the Group’s continued growth in freehold pubs and freehold pubs with rooms.
Heartwood Inns has been awarded the Best Managed Pub Group and Best Operations Team Awards at the Publican Awards 2024 alongside the R200 Best Food-Led Pub Group Awards 2023. It has also been recognised as a Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 and won the Bronze Award at the DRUM EMEA Awards for Best Rebrand for Heartwood Collection.
For any media enquiries please contact Emma Martin: emma.m@heartwoodcollection.com / 020 3166 2727
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