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Date 22 November 2005 Title Size matters for big thinking pub company Press Release
GRS Inns, a wholly-owned subsidiary of leased and tenanted pubco Punch Taverns, has unveiled plans for a multi-million pound investment programme, which will see the launch of up to 12 completely refurbished pubs.The company has created a new concept, Big Pub, which bases its customer offering on big value for money, giant food portions and larger than life entertainment.GRS's managing director Duncan Ward said: "A visit to a Big Pub is designed to be a 'big experience' in every sense of the word. The actual size of the sites will be the first thing people notice. These are quite literally big pubs, with large trading areas inside and out, plus plenty of parking."And while the offer is all about promoting value, the pubs have an upmarket, high quality feel in terms of décor. Expect to see comfy leather sofas, bright but tasteful colours, open fireplaces and contemporary furnishings."The development team at GRS is using sites from the Punch Taverns leasehold pub estate, investing up to £750,000 in them and running them as managed houses.The Big Pub concept has already been successfully applied to the former Gospel Oak in Acocks Green, Birmingham, now known simply as the Oak.Craig Morris, area manager for GRS Inns, said: "These are pubs with tremendous potential - we just need to rethink how best to use them. In the case of the Oak, we had an easily accessible pub in the middle of a housing estate, yet only the public bar was operational. "Radically transforming its appearance, maximising the available trading space and bringing in a value for money food offering has given that same pub real appeal to the local community."Other sites currently in development are the Lutley Mill in Halesowen, also near Birmingham, the Coventry Oak in Wyken, Coventry, and the Waltham Oak in Walthamstow. Each site will open by early December.Big Pubs scheduled to open by April 2006 include Barrow, Sheffield, Rotherham Ipswich and Stoke on Trent. Punch Taverns is one of the UK's largest operators of leased and tenanted pubs with 8,200 outlets nationwide.
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