The group’s ambition is to become a leading operator of freehold premium pubs and pubs-with-rooms in the UK – a market which it sees significant opportunity for growth, but which it believes is significantly under served.
Heartwood Collection currently operates 20 premium pubs and 14 Brasserie Blanc restaurants across the UK and plans to grow significantly as a freehold business in the years ahead.
As a result of this move, White Brasserie Company will become Heartwood Inns next month.
The group will continue to focus the acquisition of atmospheric freehold properties, especially those where there is scope to refurbish or revive characterful properties.
As part of this move, the leadership team will remain in place – with Mark Derry as Chairman and Richard Ferrier as Managing Director.
Raymond Blanc will continue his role of directing the menu evolution, sourcing and the development of people.
“Having experienced a difficult period of not being able to visit their favourite pubs and restaurants during the pandemic, the British public has emerged with a strong desire to eat, drink and take time away in ways that offer quality, reliability and value," says Richard Ferrier, managing director at Heartwood Collection.
“It is against this backdrop that we are becoming Heartwood Collection. We have a proven and attractive pub offer underpinned by skilled-chefs and warm hospitality. It is an offer that our guests love, and in Heartwood Collection, we have a clear platform to achieve accelerated growth in the years ahead.
"We are already making good progress on growing our pipeline of new sites and we look forward to welcoming regular and new guests through our doors – as well as welcoming new colleagues to the pubs we open.”
New ownership
Under new owners Alchemy, the group has accelerated its growth plans and has already completed the acquisition of 11 freehold sites over the past 12 months and is close to completing on a further five in the summer of 2023.
Following strong recent trading, showing positive covers and spend per head growth, the group aims to grow to 61 sites by June 2027 and create nearly 400 boutique bedrooms in the same time period. This will lead to the creation of a further 1,500 jobs and take the total number of Heartwood employees to 2,700.
The Group’s next site – the Black Swan in Henley in Arden, Warwickshire – is due to open in August. The inn will have 120 restaurant seats, 60 seats in the bar and a 100-seat garden. It has also acquired the former George Evelyn pub in Long Ditton, Surrey, which is due to open before the end of 2023.
As part of Heartwood’s move into rooms, the business has exchanged on a 16th century coaching inn, The White Hart in Lewes, East Sussex, where philosopher Thomas Paine forged his radical polices. It will fully refurbish the property with a new orangery overlooking the South Downs and 23 beautifully designed rooms and suites.
Heartwood anticipates that it will have 150 rooms in the business by June 2024.
“As Heartwood Collection, our offer will be grounded in a winning combination of serving premium quality food in atmospheric pubs. More than this, we see real opportunity to leverage our hospitality expertise and become a significant operator of pubs-with-rooms, filling that current gap in the market for memorable boutique stays – at the right price," says Mark Derry, Heartwood Collection chairman.
“This is the right time for us to make this change. Our new name reflects not only the business we are today, but it underlines the ambition we have to become a leading freehold pub business of real scale. With the ongoing support of our new owners Alchemy, we will continue to target the opening of new sites, and I look forward to bringing Heartwood’s pub offer to new towns and local communities throughout the UK.”