New pub group Fireside Pubs & Restaurants launches
A new group of food-led pub is about to launch with the backing of former Laurel Pub Company and Mitchells & Butlers chairman John Lovering.
Fireside Pubs & Restaurants, which will launch with its first site, the Admiral J McHardy in Chelmsford, Essex, this month, is a new venture from Leo Murphy and Alan Moore, who together run hospitality consultancy firm the Arizona Group.
The new pub group, backed by Lovering's investment vehicle Echelon Partners, aims to grow to around 20 food-led pubs in the South of England over the next three to five years.
Lovering and his son, Nick, will join the board of the new company and through Echelon have also taken a strategic stake in the Arizona Group.
Commenting on the new group, Murphy said: "It has long been part of our strategic plan to develop our own pub group and we believe that market conditions are now conducive to so doing. We are delighted to welcome John and Nick as backers and are already seeing the benefits of their involvement.
"The prospects for the first site are encouraging and we are confident that our model will deliver a premium experience combining a quality food offering and value for money, and that each Fireside Pub & Restaurant will be at the heart of the local community. In the meantime, our focus will be on the continued expansion of the Arizona Group, which provides high quality solutions for stakeholders in the licensed retail industry."
Nick Lovering added: "We are delighted to have completed this investment with Leo and Alan. They are a well-respected and high quality team with a very exciting model, which matches our understanding of customers' requirements. We look forward to continuing to support the team as they develop the Fireside Pubs & Restaurants brand and think that this first unit represents an excellent springboard from which to establish the concept and develop the group."
