Unique Hospitality Management has added three new pubs, including its first in London, taking its portfolio to ten sites.
The company, which operates Epic Pubs, Heroic Pubs and new company Aspley Pubs, has taken on its second Star Pubs & Bars lease – The Imperial in Chelsea.
Located on the King’s Road in the heart of London’s Chelsea Design Quarter the Victorian pub is part of Unique’s Epic Pubs, which already has two sites.
The pub will reopen in late February as The Imperial Arms following an extensive refurbishment. It will feature a 60-cover dining area and bar, large upstairs private event space and walled garden for drinking and dining.
Andrew Coath, the company’s managing director, said: “We are really excited to have taken on our first pub in London which will be a flagship for the company. The Imperial Arms is a fantastic Victorian building of merit in a vibrant location. We look forward to working with Star Pubs & Bars to re-establish the venue as a pub at the heart of its local community.”
He adds: “We hope The Imperial Arms will have sister pubs in London, with more pubs in the capital on our wish list.”
Tim Galligan, Star Pubs & Bars operations and sales director, said: “It’s great news that Unique Hospitality Management has taken on the Imperial Arms. It’s a very desirable pub in a fantastic location and they’ve got a strong track record. We look forward to working with them and helping them realise their business growth plans.”
Unique Hospitality Management aim to have 15 sites by 2019.
New Aspley Pubs
Unique Hospitality Management has also taken on two pubs in new company Aspley Pubs which have been funded through an Enterprise Investment Scheme with Rockpool Investments, who also back Unique’s Epic and Heroic Pubs.
The 145-cover Hart House will open in early March in the centre of Fleet, Hampshire. The pub, which is the company’s first in Hampshire, is opening in the site of a former Ask restaurant.
Hart House will be the company’s first venue with a coffee shop. The 25-cover coffee shop will feature a daily changing blackboard menu and cake counter. It will also be available for private events in the evenings.
The pub also features an upstairs private dining area for 30 covers and a further 80 covers outside.
Locks, stock and barrel
The company has also acquired freehold the Three Locks in Stoke Hammond, on the Grand Union Canal in Buckinghamshire. The pub features the company’s core food offer which focuses on seasonally changing menus which celebrate the best of fresh British produce. The Three Locks also features an extensive real ale offer and weekly events include ‘Crafty Fridays’, with live music and a pint of craft beer and a burger for £10.
Vegan menus introduced
A separate new vegan menu has also been introduced across the majority of the company’s sites, featuring nine plant-based dishes.
Coath said: “We pride ourselves on being a ‘pub for everyone’ so introducing a vegan menu made perfect sense. It is proving really popular with both vegan and non-vegan customers.”
