The Yummy Pub Company plans Ssshh Supper Club rollout in new partnership with Charles Wells

Bedford-based family brewer and pub operator Charles Wells has acquired the pub from Young's which announced in February it was selling the site alongside 13 other freehold venues​ to free up cash for its managed estate.

Following the expected completion of the purchase at the end of the month, Charles Wells will kick off an eight week refurb on the South London property. The £500k re-development will be a joint investment with Yummy which will operate the venue when it opens.

Ssshh​

"Of the four Yummy pubs, this is the one we’re most excited about, having developed a whole new identity with eccentric design elements that we’ll be unveiling in due course," Tim Foster, director of Yummy Pub Company, said of the plans.

The business, founded in 2007, already operates a venue owned by Charles Wells - The Somers Town Coffee House in Euston.

The Euston venue on Charlton Street is home to the first Ssshh Supper Club where guests are invited to venture through the pub into a library where pushing a book reveals a set of secret function rooms which host a supper club three times a week and can be hired for events or private dining.

The Gorringe Park, which will include a ground-floor bar as well as function rooms, a cinema on the lower ground floor, a library and 'alchemy lab', is expected to feature the second site for the Ssshh Supper Club concept.

"The Ssshh Supper Club has proved very popular at The Somers Town Coffee House and we’re looking forward to rolling out the concept in South London following the refurbishment of The Gorringe Park," Foster said.

Acquisition model​

Peter Wells, the Charles Wells pub company managing director, said the deal could represent a new acquisition model for the business.

"This is the first time we’ve bought a pub in consultation with a specific operator."

"It’s a model that could be replicated as we are committed to investing in the best pubs and operators as we work towards delivering a great pub experience.  In the meantime, we look forward to developing this traditional Victorian pub into a unique venue," he concluded.