PUB company Marston’s has pledged to acquire five new Scottish sites every year moving forward, investing £15 million a year north of the border.
The company opened its first Scottish site, the Pine Marten in Dunbar, last April, and now has four Scottish pubs. It plans to launch a further six within the next twelve months, and is also set to begin construction of a Marston’s Inn hotel adjacent to the Pine Marten.
“Our first year of trading in Scotland has been strong and we are now ready to step up our search for new sites right across the country,” said Steve Roberts, head of acquisitions for Marston’s.
“We are on the lookout for locations in our target towns and cities that front main roads, are on retail parks or are close to residential developments of more than 500 homes.
“We believe our pub/restaurants are quite a distinct offer in Scotland and the popularity of the ones we have opened so far has encouraged us to expand further our search for new sites.”
The company’s estate comprises 2200 pubs and bars across the UK, including tenanted, leased, franchised and managed pubs.
The Scottish acquisitions team will look at locations across Scotland, targeting towns with a population of 10,000 or more.
