M&B tops Midland pub owners table
ONE brewer owns more pubs in the West Midlands than any other, new figures reveal.
Land Registry files have revealed exactly how many properties the biggest pub chains own – and a handful dominate the West Midlands.
The largest pub chain in the region based on the number of properties they own is Mitchells & Butlers, whose headquarters are based in Birmingham.
The brewers currently own 173 properties in the West Midlands – most of which are pubs, but also offices and land for development.
Its portfolio includes The Prince of Wales in Cambridge Street near Arena Birmingham, The Squirrel in New Union Street, Coventry, The Goalpost in Waterloo Road, Wolverhampton, and The Spring Cottage in Paddock Lane, Walsall, to name just a few.
No other pub chain in the region comes anywhere close to owning so many watering holes, although several others do have dozens of properties.
Marston’s Brewery own 144 properties, making it the second largest pub chain in the West Midlands.
Meanwhile, Punch Taverns – which are soon to be taken over by Heineken – own 128 pubs and other commercial buildings, and Admiral Taverns own a total of 56.
It means Wetherspoons only come in fifth place with 49 properties, while Greene King trail even further behind in seventh with just 34 – behind Ei Group, who have 47.
Nationally, Punch Taverns own the most pubs in the country out of any major chain, with 3,453 properties up and down the UK.