Londonnpub and dining group Urban Pubs & Bars will celebrate their tenth anniversary with drinks at 2014 prices.
The leisure group, which operates 42 pubs bars and restaurants and employs over 1,000 people is the biggest independent pub group in London.
The company has achieved massive success despite once-in-a-generation challenges of COVID and the cost of living crisis by focussing on the needs of local communities.
Earlier this year Urban Pubs & Bars (UPB) announced group EBITDA of £6.4m for the financial year-ended April 30, 2023, an improvement of 11 per cent versus the prior year.
The group of ever expanding pubs and restaurants saw like-for-like sales increase by 17 per cent and turnover increased by almost 60 per cent to £52.2m.
To celebrate the company’s milestone success on Wednesday, May 22, drinks will be slashed to prices from ten years ago, approximately half price. All sites will also be throwing all day parties with music, fashion and games from 2014 as they raise a glass to its 10th birthday.
UPB is a London pub, bar and restaurant operator founded by Malc Heap and Nick Pring and backed by Davidson Kempner and Global Mutual.
Founder, Malc Heap said: “We are so proud of the incredible success of Urban Pubs and Bars. It is a real London success story and has been driven by focussing on the needs of local consumers.
“Customers returned to the company’s pubs quickly following COVID and the ensuing cost of living crisis because these pubs cater to their local communities.
“UPB is the biggest independent pub company in London, each site has an empowered management team running the venue like they own it which ensures individual pubs are loved by customers and never feel like faceless pub chains. We raise a glass, at 2014 prices, to the the next decade of success.”
Urban Pubs & Bars’ first site The Whippet in Kensal Rise opened in May 2014.
The group is a London focused business that has grown gradually over the last ten years to become a big success story. Even when the world struggled through COVID, UPB added 13 former Barworks sites.
Chris Hill joined UPB as Managing Director in May 2023 to help spearhead the future growth of the fast expanding business and oversee new acquisitions.
Chris said: “The past ten years for Urban Pubs and Bars have seen exceptional growth. The estate has doubled in size since COVID and as we now look to the future we want to double again over the next 4-5 years. We have built a great team so that we are able to move quickly to open new sites as soon as they become available.”
The company’s portfolio also includes city bars and a group of premium tapas bars. The business has grown to 42 sites with lots of openings planned for this year. The company recently opened The Red Setter taking over the former All Bar One in Northcote Road Battersea and has big plans to open up to ten sites across London this year.
In the last year, the business also successfully opened three other new sites including The Victory at Waterloo Station, The Railway in Putney and The Junction in Islington, with trading exceeding expectations.
The UP&B Group, includes flagship pubs Nest, Bishopsgate, The Wheatsheaf, Tooting and The Gatehouse, Highgate, predicts further growth despite economic forecasts, transport strikes and the general state of the UK economy.
