Pub operator and brewer Brakspear has appointed Ed Turner, formerly managing director of Geronimo Inns, as a non-executive director with a brief to help develop its managed pub division.
Turner worked at Geronimo Inns from 1999 until July this year, during which time the company grew from four pubs to 38. During his time at Geronimo, Turner mentored Tom Davies, now Brakspear’s chief executive, who started his pub industry career with two years at the company.
5 sites and growing
Brakspear’s managed pub division currently stands at five sites, following the acquisition in May this year of the George Hotel at Shipston-on-Stour. The company is actively seeking further sites and has invested in a structure to support a larger estate, with dedicated operations manager Mat Aket and executive chef Antony Ely as well as in-house design and marketing teams.
Turner said, “Tom has a great eye for a pub with potential and I’m very impressed with what he and his team have achieved to date with the managed division, which sits alongside Brakspear’s very strong tenanted and leased estate.
“Each managed pub has its own individual look and feel, but they share a strong ethos that’s all about delivering an outstanding customer experience, by having exceptional attention to detail and a brilliant group of people.”
“My role is to advise and guide, to bring a different point of view and to challenge Tom and the team. What excites me, and persuaded me to come on board, is Brakspear’s desire to create a collection of pubs that are unique and special, and which become places that people relish far more than the very varied competition they can choose from.”
No better credentials
Davies said, “We’re delighted that Ed has agreed to join us. I can’t think of anyone in the industry with better credentials for helping to develop a managed pub division, and the phenomenal success of Geronimo on his watch speaks for itself. He grasps our ambitions for the managed estate and appreciates its place in a predominantly tenanted estate. We’re confident he will contribute enormously to the continued development of the Brakspear brand.”
Brakspear’s first managed pub, the Bull on Bell Street in Henley-on-Thames, opened in March 2013, followed by Porch House, Stow-on-the-Wold; Chequers, Marlow; Running Horses near Dorking and George Hotel, Shipston-on-Stour. The Porch House is the winner of the Good Pub Guide’s ‘New Pub of the Year 2016’ Award, and has also been awarded a number of accolades by The AA Guide.