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Pub group Amber Taverns has revealed it is adding at least 17 new sites to its estate after a “significant year” which has seen record sales.
The company, which was bought by private equity firm Epiris in October last year, said it had already opened 11 new sites, with the aim of expanding from the end of the year to next February.
It comes after the group opened nine new pubs last year.
Amber Taverns, which now has 184 pubs, said it is focusing on expanding its chain across the South England It’s also looking to “capitalize on its success” across the country.
Its most recent opening was the Erasmus Wolff Pub, which opened on 1 September go SportHampshire.
Other new Amber Taverns pubs have opened this year in the following locations:
– Airdrie, North LanarkshireScotland- Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland- Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales- Gosport, Hampshire- Guiseley, West Yorkshire- Huddersfield, West Yorkshire- Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland- Leith, City of Edinburgh, Scotland- Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland- nortonNorth Yorkshire, England-Taunton, Somerset, England
The other six have still to be opened, with future openings reserved at the following locations:
– Whitchurch, Cardiff (December) – Helensburgh, Nottingham (January) = Bearwood, West Midlands (January)
The plan comes after pre-tax profits rose 7% to £19.1 million by February 2025, as revenues rose 9% to an all-time high of £119.9 million and like-for-like sales were 3.5% higher.
But it said sales growth in the first half of its new financial year was down “modestly ahead” as it came against strong trading a year earlier due to the 2024 Euro football championships.
It said like-for-like sales had grown “encouragingly” over the past 12 weeks, up 5%.
James Baer, president of Amber Taverns, said it has been “a historic year for Amber Taverns.”
He criticized the government’s move to raise national insurance contributions and the minimum wage in April, which has increased wage costs.
“Despite best efforts Government “To reduce consumer confidence and impose unwanted additional costs on the area, we believe a well-invested, modern community pub with an active and motivated operator will prove to be a relevant and strong business model,” he said.
He added: “We are extremely encouraged by the response to the recent opening of our southernmost pub to date in Gosport and look forward to growing our southern footprint while furthering our ambition to create a nationwide presence for Amber.”
The group said it took early “management action” to offset the worst of the cost increases.
According to the firm, as a beverage-based chain, it also avoided losses from rising food and ingredient costs that have hit many of its rivals.