Ernst & Young (EY), who were appointed administrators of the MacLay pub group on Friday, have revealed that the two men handling the administration are Colin Dempster and Gavin Yuill. EY has also confirmed that it has already had a “number of expressions of interest.”
The administrator also released a full-list of the MacLays pubs – 15 of which are owned by the group, five are run under a management contract and a further seven properties which were transferred to LT Pub Management, a completely separate company, on Friday evening.
Joint administrator Gavin Yuill re-iterated the statement from EY on Friday when he said, “Faced with an unexpected funding requirement, the directors of Maclay Group plc and its trading subsidiary Maclay Inns Ltd decided to call in administrators to protect the business and safeguard jobs.”
He continued, “The contract for seven managed properties immediately transferred to LT Pub Management. EY will continue to trade the fifteen properties owned by Maclay Inns Ltd, plus the five managed properties as a going concern while a buyer is sought.
“The underlying business remains strong and we have received a number of expressions of interest as might have been expected given the esteem in which the brand is held.”
Speculation surrounds the fact that the administrators have revealed that the company had an “unexpected funding requirement.”
In February 2014, according to notes that appeared in the Group’s accounts, filed at Companies House its term loan facility of £10.5m with Lloyds Banking Group, “was not formally agreed until February 11, 2014.
Properties owned by Maclay Inns Ltd:- Abbey Inn & Bull Inn, Paisley; The Bank, Lansdowne Bar & Kitchen, The Lee and Three Judges, Glasgow; Braes, Dundee; East Port Bar, Dunfermline; Lorne Bar, Oban; The Rule, St Andrews; Southsider, Edinburgh; Tullie Inn, Balloch; Village Inn, Arrochar and West Port Hotel, Linlithgow. The five managed by Maclay Inns (now managed by EY) are Clerk’s Bar, Edinburgh; The Hope, Munro’s and The Raven in Glasgow and The Wick in Prestwick. The management contract for seven pubs have been transferred to LT Pub Management. They are Canal Station, Paisley; Clockwork Beer Co and DRAM Glasgow; Dog House, Balloch; Laird & Dog, Lasswade; The Steading, Edinburgh and Wheel Inn, Perth.
The directors of Maclay Group plc today announced that they have been forced to call in the Administrators after failing to” find a strategic solution to financial pressures facing the business.”
As a result the company has appointed EY as Administrators in a bid to protect the employment of some 500 staff across the 15 pubs and bars it currently owns. However for pubs within the company’s managed estate, seven have been transferred to LT Pub Management. They are Canal Station in Paisley, the Clockwork Beer Co in Cathcart, the Dog House in Balloch, Dram in Glasgow, Laird & Dog in Lasswade, The Steading in Edinburgh and the Wheel Inn in Perth. The administrators EY will honour the contracts for a further five managed houses which are Clerk’s Bar in Edinburgh, The Hope, Munro’s and The Raven all in Glasgow and The Wick in Prestwick.
Administrator Ross Nisbet told DRAM, “We only took over today (23rd January) and we will run the business as normal. We haven’t had an opportunity to look at the books fully but we understand that the underlying business is strong and profitable. It was just that the company had an unexpected funding requirement which led to our appointment. We will trade the company with a view to a sale.”
The pubs owned by Maclay Inns Ltd include Braes in Dundee, the Lansdowne Bar and Kitchen and the Three Judges in Partick and The Tullie Inn in Balloch.
Tennent’s who in 2012 entered into a supplier agreement with Maclays, which also included an equity involvement, released a statement from Brian Calder, CEO Tennent Caledonian Breweries. He said, “We can confirm that Tennent Caledonian Breweries (TCB) is a supplier to and has an equity involvement in Maclay Group plc. Following today’s announcement by Maclay Group TCB will work with the bank, the administrators and other shareholders to optimise value for all stakeholders. ”
The Alloa-based group, run by Steve Mallon, last filed consolidated accounts with Companies House for a 16-month reporting period, ending 1st February 2014. These figures revealed that operating profits had dipped 15% to £604,616 against £718,302 for the 12-month 2012 financial year. Turnover rose to £13.52 million for the 16-month against £10.43 million reported for 2012, but its pre-tax loss was £199,819.
For more information please contact the Administrators:
What a year Scotland has had – and I’m not just talking about the Ryder Cup, Commonwealth Games and the Referendum… it seems that there has never been so much money invested into the Scottish licensed trade. Progressive operators have been growing the businesses, and have invested millions in the Scottish hospitality industry.
The combined spend of independent operators SimpsInns, DiMaggio’s, Maclay Inns, Buzzworks, Manorview, Signature Pubs, Montpeliers, Costley & Costley, Aurora Hotels, BrewDog and James Rusk alone this year exceeds £20m. And obviously there have been millions spent across the board when you consider all the larger operators such as JD Wetherspoon. They alone have opened eight places over the past year with an average spend of £1.5m per unit. Smaller operators have also invested heavily in their business by renovating or adding space and buying new businesses. It certainly is a welcome turn around.
One company that is growing its business is SimpsInns. This year they acquired North Gailes Golf and Leisure, which is adjacent to the Gailes Hotel, which it already owns and owner Malcolm Simpson has his eye on a few potential acquisitions for spring next year. He told DRAM. “Things are easing off, but it’s not a lot easier. It’s like a great big ship turning. We made a decision to go into the recession and be in pole position so we continued to invest, and we got a lot of support from our bank. We were determined not to go into the recession and play catch up. That smaller scale operators are investing in existing outlets is also a positive flag. When the big players start to creep back in, that’s when you know things are getting better. We’re starting to get lots of corporate enquiries, so when they’re reaching out for quotes it’s getting better.”
He continues, “Our business is diverse across food, drink, hotels, corporate and weddings, so we can see different aspects of the business changing and volume is starting to grow slowly. The discounts culture has been very damaging, so it’s good that that’s starting to ease off too. You can’t really compete. You can’t sell a product at the same price it was five years ago, when your overheads aren’t the same price.”
Two other Ayrshire group have also been investing. Costley & Costley re-opened Soutar Johnnie’s back in the Spring (it was destroyed in a fire) and have also embarked on a programme which included refurbishing the Cochrane Inn and Brig O’Doon. While Buzzworks re-opened Lido and did a glitzy refurbishment on Elliots.
In Glasgow the Di Maggio Group has invested over £3m on new openings this year alone, and owner Mario Gizzi feels the vibe in Scotland is fantastic. “Scotland is very positive at the moment,” he says. “There’s a real feel good factor around us what with the Ryder Cup and the Commonwealth Games.”
The company spent £1.2m on opening an Amarone outlet in Aberdeen at the beginning of the year, invested in £500k in Topolabamba, a Mexican restaurant in Glasgow and then £1.5m on its ambitious Anchor Line venue in Glasgow, which you can read about on p28. “We knew what we wanted to do with Anchor Line so we held off doing it until we felt the market was right,” says Mario. “But like anything, you start to realise what works and what doesn’t so you’re constantly tweaking.”
And the business is continuing its expansion. Says Mario. “We are just starting work on our 16th venture, Cafe Andaluz in Aberdeen.” It’s the second Aberdeen venture for the company. They opened Amarone just before last Christmas. Says Mario, “We’re very happy with Amarone in Aberdeen, but like everything, if something doesn’t work we change things.” Topolabamba, which Mario and Tony Conetta opened with Paul Sloan, has received rave reviews and Mario believes it has been a success because it was so unusual. “There’s nothing like it in Glasgow,” he says. “A brand new concept always goes down well.”
Three months before DiMaggio’s opened Anchor Line, James Rusk, who also owns The Butchershop, launched Hutchesons, the lease on which he negotiated with the National Trust. The Rusks spent in the region of £1.5m transforming the A-listed building, which is set over three floors (around 4,000 sq ft). Rusk agrees that while investing in new openings is positive, operators also investing in their current businesses makes sense. “
James Rusk comments, “Things are going really well. Obviously when you open a business like this, which is actually three businesses, it’s going to be a work in progress. It’s a big investment but one we’re committed to. ”
At Hutcheson’s the spend is continuing. Says James, “The private dining room, which we’ve literally just finished, can seat 18.” However he plans on now working on the operational side of business to ensure it’s success. He comments, “We have to make sure we’re still balancing our attention between Hutchesons and The Butcher Shop and ensuring we’re keeping our high standards there. I’m not planning anything else just yet, this is enough!” However then he adds, “But you’re always looking!”
Mark Brunjes, managing director of CM Design, which worked on both Hutchesons and Anchor Line, says he’s finding that there’s money out there to be spent on both refurbishment and opening.
“I’ve found that the entrepreneurs and individuals have been the ones spending money recently, but what’s good is that the brewers are starting to spend money, as they haven’t been for the last couple of years. There’s quite a bit of money around. We’re finding that while businesses are still looking for value for money, they’ve more to spend. I think they’re starting to see the stuff individuals are doing and know that they have to compete with them. Individuals and entrepreneurs are more open to design and willing to take more risks. We’re talking to people all the time about doing refurbishments and the money they have to spend is going up. We’re currently talking to someone in Glasgow about a job that’s has £500k spend, so the money is there.”
Glendola Leisure has also been spending. The company invested £1m developing space at Central Station. They opened a very stylish basement bar and grill – Alston Bar and Beef as well as an Artisan Coffee Shop. It’s was the first redevelopment for the company in a few years with their estate also including Waxy O’Connor’s, the Carlton George Hotel and Hortons in Glasgow and Frankenstein’s in Edinburgh.
Meanwhile Manchester-based group Living Ventures also secured its first site in Glasgow for its Gusto brand which will open in Bothwell Street shortly, Five Guys Burger and Fries are opening in St Vincent Street this month and Alan Tomkins is opening The Western Club at Blythswood Square… none of these are insignificant investments.
In Edinburgh the Contini’s splashed out on the Contini Cafe at Cannonball House, adding to their portolio which also includes Contini Restaurante and the Scottish Cafe and Restaurant at the National Gallery. Iain Pert opened MacSorley’s and the Cask and Still, while Garreth Wood’s Speratus Group refurbished various premises and have just opened the Boozy Cow in Aberdeen. Meanwhile Signature Pubs, run by Nic Wood, also plowed cash into refurbishing. Element in Rose Street has had a make-over as has The Queens Arms, and The Basement Bar in Broughton Street too.
One company that has really puts its heart and soul into refurbishments over the last 18 months has been Montpeliers, and the investment has certainly paid off with a significant sales uplift within its revamped establishments. The man tasked with developing the premises, David Johnstone, development director at Montpelier’s, has certainly been busy. Indigo Yard, Montpeliers, the Candy Bar and the Opal Lounge have all had refurbishments and Rick’s is also to get it own facelift. He comments, “It makes sense for operators like us to look at our existing outlets and make them work harder for us. And what we’ve learnt from our refurbishments so far we’ll replicate over the rest of the business. We are having to dig deep and every aspect of our business is constantly being looked at and evaluated. In the style bar market, which is our sector, we have to keep looking at what we offering. We probably went through a longer extended period than we would have normally have done of doing no refurbishment. But we have made up for it over the last 18 months.” However he doesn’t completely rule out opening a new place. Says David, “As David [Wither] and I always say, if the right location comes up we’d look at it. But if you look at the £9m we spent on Tiger Lily eight years ago, and if you were to ask me would we do that again, I’d probably laugh!”
However big spends particularly in the hotel sector are still very much the norm, and its independent operators that are splashing the cash. Steven Macleod opened his much anticipated Colessio Hotel in Stirling and admits to investing £10m in the project, while the Maclean family opened the Raeburn Hotel in Stockbridge and invested £5m. Graham Wood spent a similar amount on The Chester Hotel in Aberdeen, while a more modest make-over saw The Craigellachie in Speyside, revamped and a new whisky bar created. Last month we focussed on Banchory Lodge which has seen all its public areas revamped, while the RAD Group, owned by Vivien and Robert Kyle bought the Shawlands Park Hotel in Lanarkshire, renamed in The Radstone and revamped it. They managed to secure £6m worth of funding from Santander which help facilitate the refurbishment, while Barclays delivered a £6.25m deal for the thriving Manorview Hotel and Leisure Group (see design feature). They have just refurbished The Busby Hotel and re-opened. Jamie Grant, Head of Corporate Banking, Barclays, Scotland, commented, “We are increasing our presence in the hospitality and leisure sector where we believe there are strong opportunities for operators like Manorview. The company has been astute in taking advantage of competitively priced assets coming to the market and using their extensive knowledge and experience to turn them into profitable businesses.”
There are obviously many many more success stories out there, but as you see, there is no shortage of news and recently its been good news. Long may it continue.
Clerk’s Bar in Edinburgh’s South Clerk Street has opened after a £400K make-over by owners Maclays. The bar is offering fresh slow smoked BBQ style food as well as good range of craft and cask beers.
It has a relaxed and laid back feel which includes colourful murals on the walls, a rustic bar featuring reclaimed wood, exposed brick walls, industrial style lighting and plasma screens for showing major sporting events.
Kayleigh Beveridge, manager of Clerk’s, said, “Clerk’s is all about really good BBQ style slow cooked meats in a chilled-out neighbourhood pub. The place has a really laid back feel – and we’re hoping that people will want to just come in, grab a drink and bite to unwind.
“We’ve also got a great entertainment programme lined up with DJs at the weekend, craft beer tasting nights and lots more planned for the coming weeks.”
Steve Mallon, MD of Maclay Inns, said, “This is a new concept for us and one we’re really excited about. We believe we are the first to do BBQ style smoked meats in a pub setting and we expect it will be very popular, especially when combined with the great range of cask and craft beers we have and live sports on TV. It’s a very casual dining experience but one we believe fits perfectly in this area.”
Clerk’s has 60 covers in the main bar area and a separate area downstairs which has its own bar and seating for 30 people; it can also be booked out for private functions, parties and meetings.
Bar operators, Maclay Inns have had another busy month as they continue their investment and work towards overhauling a number of bars across Scotland.
This time around they have bought Flanagans Bar in Prestwick town centre. The bar was on the market earlier this year after going into administration, with Maclays identifying it as ideal for their estate, buying it through their Thistle Pub Company.
Managing director of Maclays, Steve Mallon said, “We believe Flanagans will be a valuable addition to the Thistle Pub Company estate. We intend to run the business in its existing format over the short term and undertake a comprehensive refurbishment during the first quarter of 2014.”
And the company’s investment doesn’t stop there, after taking charge of an outlet on Clerk Street, Edinburgh. Although licensed previously, the venue had been closed prior to the acquisition, with Maclays confirming an investment of around £400,000.
It’s been a busy month for Maclay Inns who have relaunched not just one bar, but two. First the West Port Hotel in Linlithgow relaunched after a £450K refurbishment, then the former Grahamston Bar in Glasgow was relaunched with a new name, The Hope, and a new look.
The West Port transformation included major structural changes to the building and it was stripped back to basics. The bar was built in a different position and the wall that previously separated the bar from the West Port cottage was knocked down to create a cosy dedicated restaurant area. Now the hotel offers a modern country inn feel featuring a relaxing colour palette of soothing shades of grey and green, fused with bright pops of colours in soft furnishings and accessories to brighten up the space.
The Hope also opened after a £500K refurbishment. This is Maclay’s first city centre bar and has a modern, contemporary look, with stylish mirrored tiling adding to the beauty of the original bar. Glasgow tenement style floor tiles have been used as a feature in front of the bar highlighting a large zinc drinking table incorporating the bar’s original marble pillars. Interesting modern design pieces, such as oversized hanging felt lampshades and quirky pieces of Glasgow art, have been added to create focal points in the restaurant, complementing the grand Cistine Chapel inspired frieze on the ceiling and the feature art deco cupula.
Maclay Inns has bought the Grahamston bar on Glasgow’s Waterloo Street. A £500,000 refurbishment of the venue, which is currently closed, is scheduled to start in June and is expected to open towards the end of August. The re-launch will see the venue focus on offering fresh, contemporary food and a selection of great beers.The group also operates The Lee next to Strathclyde University as well as the Lansdowne, DRAM, Three Judges and Munro’s in the West End of Glasgow and the Bank Café Bar and Clockwork Beer Co in the South Side of the city. Steve Mallon, MD of Maclay Inns said, “The Grahamston is a great space with an unrivalled location in the heart of the office land; it is the perfect spot for our first city centre venue and we are looking forward to starting the refurbishment.”
The company is also planning a half million pound refurbishment of the West Port Hotel in Linlithgow which is due to start soon. Steve added, “These investments are core to our on-going plans to grow the quality and scale of our portfolio across the central belt. Further acquisitions are under negotiation and we expect to report 2013 as a year of real progress.”
If you’re thinking there’s something familiar about Maclay Inns’ £700k, four-month renovation of Balloch’s Tullie Inn, you’d be on to something. There are more than a few nods to a certain waterfront bar and restaurant that opened in West Kilbride last year. Maclay Inns’ MD Steve Mallon has been quite open about how impressed he was by what SimpsInns did at The Waterside. He said, “Malcolm Simpson and his team did a fantastic job, and The Waterside is a fantastic venue. It has inspired me in a way that is evident in what we have done here. The Tullie Inn was a big investment and the renovation has ironed out a few wrinkles in the old building. As well as a complete internal refurbishment, we’ve also added a new glasshouse to the front, and customers have been blown away by what we have done.”
On the day of my visit, The Tullie Inn, which also has 13 guest bedrooms, was a hive of activity. As well as the impressive glass frontage, there’s also a new all-glass entrance to the left of the main part of the building.
Although as a listed building there were some other considerations. Architect Lawrie Orr said, “It’s a C listed building so we had to work closely with the planners at Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park. What we came up with was accepted by the planners right from day one, with just a few negotiations over some minor details, but all in all, a straightforward process. That is the hallmark of a good design.”
The layout basically comprises three main areas. As soon as you come in you’re confronted with the first of them. This houses the bar and a large seating area, including a corner snug with a real- effect fire that, for some reason, has been installed at torso-height above the original fireplace, in which there are some decorative chopped logs. One of the biggest changes to this area is the levelling out of the floor (previously it had been a split-level area) and was quite dark. Walls have been knocked down to create a more open and spacious feel across the bar and restaurant, and new windows create a much brighter feel too.
The seating area beside the windows boast a mix of couches and wicker chairs in eclectic fabrics – stripes, tweed, modern tartan – all of which feature bright bursts of colour, and square coffee tables made from drift wood and glass which compliments the clapperboard wall, run the full length of the room.
The dominant colour is ‘boathouse blue’ with splashes of white in what is an over-arching nautical/Cape Cod theme. As well as the various blues, creams and white make up the rest of the colour palate.
This area is divided from the bar by several posing tables, which sit in front of the bar, which is a piece of art itself. The stainless steel bar top is matched by the back bar, which allows plenty of space to promote products, and there’s also a library-style metal ladder for any hard to reach bottles.
Design Build Deliver did all the interior design, and company MD Michael Dunn is delighted with the result. He said, “The challenge was to put The Tullie Inn back on the map. It’s a flagship outlet in the Maclay stable, so we had to create a world-class offering, and to achieve that, it was completely stripped back.
“For six months of the year Balloch, as gateway to the Highlands, is a tourist destination, with visitors coming from all over the world. The design we’ve delivered reflects its global footprint, with a map of the world and the collection of wall clocks set to a variety of timezones. It is also welcoming, exciting, innovative and fun. The glass extension has allowed for lots more light, and despite the 45 fabrics and coverings being used, including plaids and leathers, there’s a harmony to it all.”
To the right of the bar area is the heart of the building which accommodates most of the covers, and this leads into the main seating area, divided by a central partition. This is presided over by a coffee and cake station, a brand new addition, and hanging above the station are two quirky lampshades – one is a tea cup and the other a teapot. This area is where most people choose to sit, according to the staff. Perhaps this is because it’s the most brightly lit section thanks to a wall of original windows, plus natural light also streams in through the new glasshouse at the front. Chandeliers hang in one half of this area, which is separated by a central unit constructed from shelves and a line of banquettes. Flashes of orange and red in the textiles and accessories add bright bursts of colour, and the booths have been upholstered in stylish leather and tartan textiles, and all of this is contrasted with a collection of whitewashed and wicker furniture. The darker
side of this area, on account of it not benefitting from as much natural light, has some higher tables and some cosier corners, lit by lantern candles, but the nautical theme continues with sailing boat models and port-hole style mirrors.
The far end of this area leads out on to the glasshouse at the front of the building, where the design is pretty simple, as it’s wall-to- wall glass, apart from what was once the outside wall, which now displays some silver wall lights and black and white photographs. It also has wicker furniture with bleached wooden tables.
There are also lots of little details to discover, like an area featuring a striking statement stag printed wallpaper and the map of the local lochs hand painted on a part of the ceiling, of which Michael Dunn is particularly proud. He explained, “The map on the ceiling depicts the six clans that used to live around Loch Lomond 500 years ago, and we’ve also implanted an image of The Tullie Inn, well how it looked when it opened in 1901, on to it.”
Apart from the glass conservatory on the outside, it doesn’t look all that different in 2013, testament to a sympathetic design that’s brought a listed building bang up-to-date. While the interior design has brought something bonnie back to the banks of Loch Lomond.
Jason Caddy
Maclay Group, the Scottish bar and pub operator, has announced its financial results for year end 29 September 2012. Revenue was steady at £10.4 million, operating profit of £718,312 was down from £745,937 recorded in 2011, while net debt was reduced from £11.5m to £9.7m.
A property impairment charge of almost £680,000 plus an increase in financing costs from £670,046 to £776,027 were the main factors behind the pre-tax loss.
MD of the Maclay Group, Steve Mallon, said, “The year was dominated by economic pressures suppressing customer demand but I am pleased with the robust response from our staff who pulled together to keep operating costs tightly controlled thus ensuring that margins were maintained.”?However the company has revealed that sales over the Christmas period from 16th December to 5th January saw a 4% increase over the previous year with total sales amounting to £1,094,985 for the three week period – a £45K increase.?
Speaking on Maclay’s strategy for the year ahead, Steve said, “Following the equity investment by Tennent’s Caledonian Brewery (TCB) early in the 2012, the company’s financial position is strong and positions us well for the year ahead.
The first thing that strikes you when you enter Maclay’s newest pub, Munro’s on Glasgow’s Great Western Road, is the spaciousness. It is even more striking if you remember it in its previous incarnation as the Captain’s Rest. Who could have imagined there was that much space? What was previously a dark and rather gloomy bar has been totally transformed. In fact there is hardly any point in talking about the Captain’s because there is not a remnant of it remaining.
The new Munro’s is a craft beer pub, and Maclay’s marketing manager Lynn Lovelock told us that they took their inspiration from various hostelries around the UK, but particularly London. She says, “We came up with a design brief based on what we had seen, and what we liked. Steve Mallon had me visiting all sorts of bars in way out places, but I think it was worth it.”
The £400K refurbishment by Design Build Deliver, Michael Dunn’s new company, is very clever. They have created a spacious, light and airy bar, that also gives a nod to the fact that Munro’s back in the distant past was a car showroom, called Munro’s Motors, and the lighting rack which takes pride of place actually has tyres dangling from it. So despite the fact that you may think the name is a reference to Scotland’s favourite hills, because the hostelry also features subtle references to famous Munro’s in the shape of a painting of our Scottish mountains and portraits of British mountaineer Hector Munro and legendary Glasgow landlord Hugh Munro. These clues are actually a bum steer… excuse the pun!
Décor has been strongly influenced by Scottish heritage with the use of lots of wood and tweed and leather upholstery. The current trend for upcycling is out in force at Munro’s with the company using various pieces of furniture from another one of their bars, The Tullie in Balloch (currently also being refurbished), and updating it, or not, as the case may be.
The two central tables which are located underneath the large tyre lighting rig are in fact huge cable drums. Explains Lynn, “We were going to have barrels, but everyone has barrels and thecable drums kind of fitted with the theme.”
The bar has four distinct areas – the main body of the bar, a snug to the right which has a gas fire, which looks like a wood burning stove, complete with leather comfy chairs, a large coffee table, and standard lamp with a traditional lampshade. While to left, behind a red rug curtain, is a seating area with smaller, thinner tables and the Munro painting, while further through, to the left of the bar there is another area with high bench seating, window booths and a funky mirror. The colours are quite neutral which adds to the airiness of the bar – teal, cream and grey while the wall the fire is on is red brick which contrasts with the blonde sandstone stones on the opposite side.
That brings us to the bar which stretches the width of the main area – and is a real focal point, not least because of the array of bottled beer on the back bar. Half of the bar top has been
created by Paul Hodgkiss and the smooth elm wood is a contrast to its two polished concrete ends – industrial chic meets Scottish craft… and of course on the crafted bar top are the craft beers. At any one time Munro’s will have eight craft and cask taps with six changing on a regular basis to include special guest brews like Magic Rock High Wire from West Yorkshire and Shoreditch Blonde from the Redchurch Brewery in East London.
While its fridges are also packed full of unique beers for aficionados including Brooklyn Lager, East India Pale Ale and Blue Moon. In total, there will be 40 bottled beers, lagers and ciders on offer.
It’s not just the interior that had a major revamp – the outside too is completely different. Not least because there are now large windows all around, and the building has been clad in wood and painted grey. It’s certainly an attractive proposition.
Munro’s is at 185 Great Western Road, Glasgow.
Tennent Caledonian and Maclay Inns have linked up in a deal which sees Tennent’s become the group’s main beer supplier, while at the same time providing investment support for Maclay’s expansion drive.
Maclay Group’s Managing Director Steve Mallon commented, “Maclay Group has the skills and infrastructure to grow its business and in Tennent Caledonian we believe we have found the right partner to support and accelerate that ambition.”
While Tennent Caledonian’s Sales Managing Director, John Gilligan commented, “Tennent Caledonian is committed to the Scottish on-trade and a key part of that is investing in high
quality operators who can build successful retail operations to showcase our brands, with Caledonia Best in particular benefitting from this transaction.”
Both companies say they view the resulting combination of high quality outlets and an industry leading beer and cider portfolio as a strong platform for future growth and development.
Maclay’s currently has 26 pubs in its portfolio ranging from Bert’s Bar in Edinburgh to the Tullie Inn in Balloch and the Lansdowne in Glasgow.
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