Hospitality operators Allan Spofforth and brothers Matthew and Mark Laughton are expanding their estate with a second Star Pubs site.
The trio have taken a ten-year fully repairing and insuring lease on The Trevor Arms at Marford, bringing their portfolio to four hospitality venues.
They are now working with Star Pubs on a £620,000 refurbishment of the Grade II-listed property ahead of its planned reopening in December.
Around 25 new jobs are expected to be created as part of the project.
The refurbishment will include a full internal and external overhaul designed to reposition The Trevor Arms as a family- and dog-friendly pub with food, drink, accommodation and outdoor space.
Historic features including old beams and flagstone floors will be restored, while the interiors will incorporate heritage colours, traditional furniture and classic fabrics.
The layout will include a snug, a main bar and lounge area for informal dining alongside a separate restaurant.
The restaurant will open onto the garden and will also be available for private functions.
The property will provide 20 letting rooms, comprising ten ensuite bedrooms with hotel-style service and a further ten rooms aimed at business travellers and contractors working locally.
Further works include a kitchen refurbishment and cellar improvements incorporating new dispense equipment.
Spofforth and the Laughton brothers will draw on their experience at Blackhouse restaurant in Leeds and Red Door cocktail bar in Chester to develop The Trevor Arms’ food and beverage offer.
The business partners also operate The Faulkner at Hoole with Star Pubs.
Once The Trevor Arms has reopened and established its operation, they intend to consider further freehold and leased and tenanted opportunities across pubs, restaurants and cocktail bars in the North of England.
Explains Matthew: “We currently have two traditional leases where we pay for the building and go it alone and two with Star – The Faulker at Hoole and The Trevor Arms – where it’s more of a business partnership. It’s a challenging time to stand completely on your own, and we like the additional support Star provides, it makes our portfolio stronger. They’ve got skin in the game and an incentive to ensure their pubs perform well. They respect our expertise and work flexibly to accommodate our business model and vision. Their 10-year leases suit us; we’re in it for the long-term at all our ventures and we reinvest to ensure each is the very best it can be.
“As independent operators we can be fleet of foot when it comes to acquisitions, but we’ve not got a set number of sites in mind – we won’t take on more for the sake of it, each has to stack up in its own right.”
Adds Craig Foweather, Star Pubs’ investment manager: “We’re delighted to be making such a massive investment into The Trevor Arms. It’s a very prominent and distinctive pub with lots of space. We want to do it justice and develop it into a robust business – the spend will create multiple income streams. Matthew, Mark and Allan don’t do things by halves; their other venues are all exceptional. We fully expect The Trevor Arms to follow suit and offer superior quality across the board.”
The Trevor Arms is scheduled to reopen in December following completion of the refurbishment.
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