Croeso Pubs Ltd has officially opened The Bear’s Head in Penarth with a little help from former rugby star turned Fab Four coffee connoisseur Lee Byrne.
The South Wales pub chain already runs seven venues including The Philharmonic and Brewhouse in Cardiff city centre, and now its latest acquisition in Windsor Road, Penarth, formerly run by JD Wetherspoons, is back open with some special extras.
Croeso Pubs committed to retaining as many aspects of The Bear’s Head as possible, but it has invested significantly in the premises, including the introduction of live sport from Sky, Amazon, TNT and Viaplay packages.
Director Simon Little said:
“It’s brilliant to add this much-loved Penarth pub to our growing portfolio and we’ve always been clear about delivering what the people of Penarth want in their local pub. What was really important to us – and to the locals – was that that we didn’t change what is already a winning formula at The Bear’s Head.”
“But we did want to add extras that would make it even more special. We’ve done some work over the summer and it’s wonderful to finally open the doors to this beautiful boozer. The prices have largely remained the same and we’ve also introduced enhancements like welcoming well-behaved dogs, satellite TV showing live sports events, as well as the option to book your favourite table. And, of course, we’ve introduced our new blend of Croeso coffee that we will be introducing to all our establishments in the coming weeks.”
Former Wales and British Lions rugby international Lee Byrne, who kicked off the pub’s first official coffee morning, said it was a pleasure to see the much-loved pub back open”.
The Bear’s Head is the second ‘community pub’ for Croeso Pubs – in December last year it carried out a £400,000 renovation to the The Discovery in Lakeside, Cardiff. It has also extended the Blue Bell in Cardiff’s city centre – moving into the former Brew Monster bar next door. And in January 2023, it also acquired the lease for The Dock in Cardiff Bay.
