Various Eateries Strikes £11.25m Deal to Acquire Four Premium Southern Pubs Under New Coppa Collective Brand

Various Eateries, the London-headquartered operator known for its Coppa Club and Noci restaurant concepts, has reached agreement to purchase a portfolio of four high-end destination pubs across southern England from Grosvenor Pubs and Inns. The deal, valued at £11.25 million, is expected to reach completion before the end of this month.

The transaction introduces a third trading brand for the group — The Linwood Collection — which will sit alongside Coppa Club and Noci under a newly established umbrella identity, Coppa Collective, signalling a broadening of the company’s commercial ambitions in the premium hospitality sector.

The four sites earmarked for the deal are Wild Thyme & Honey in Gloucestershire, The Hare & Hounds in Berkshire, The Stag on the River in Surrey, and The Wellington Arms in Hampshire. Separately, the group has entered into discussions over a potential fifth site, The Queen’s Head, also in Surrey, though no exchange has yet taken place.

Four of the five properties under consideration are held on a freehold basis, providing the group with significant long-term security over the estate. The Wellington Arms is the exception, operating under a long leasehold arrangement — and its inclusion in the deal remains conditional upon the granting of consent by the relevant landlord.

Importantly, Various Eateries has confirmed that all four venues will continue to trade under their existing names and individual identities following completion. The move signals a deliberate strategy of retaining the character and community standing of each site rather than imposing a blanket rebranding.

Mark Loughborough, chief executive of Various Eateries, described the acquisition as a natural and considered extension of the group’s existing platform. Speaking about the new Linwood Collection brand, he said the company was focused on preserving what had made each venue a local favourite while applying the operational disciplines it had developed across its wider portfolio.

The chief executive pointed to the premium pub-with-rooms format as one the group holds in high regard within the current trading environment, citing the combination of food, drink, accommodation and destination appeal as capable of delivering both commercial resilience and attractive financial returns when executed with consistency and quality.

Loughborough emphasised that the deal was in keeping with the strategic direction the group had set out at its most recent full-year results, adding that Various Eateries had strengthened its operational playbook across areas including purchasing, systems, training and day-to-day standards — capabilities it intends to bring to the newly acquired sites over time.

“We are bringing into the business a small collection of premium pubs with rooms that have earned their reputations the right way — through great hospitality, careful attention to detail, and a real sense of place.” He said.