Punch acquires 24 pubs in ongoing expansion drive

Punch Pubs & Co has acquired 24 pubs from the Milton Three pub group, the operator of the Wear Inns portfolio that fell into administration last year.

The team behind the Michelin-recommended Pelican in Notting Hill and the Bull in Charlbury will open a third pub this spring.

Gastronomy Plus, the parent company behind the Sous Vide Tools, Bertha, and Kasai brands, has bought outdoor gas and wood-fired oven manufacturer, DeliVita.

The former chief financial officer of Patisserie Valerie and three other defendants, including his wife, have denied being part of a plot to commit fraud at the collapsed cafe chain.