Orchid buys Premium Bars & Restaurants sites

The Orchid Group has bought 43 former Premium Bars & Restaurants (PBR) sites taking its portfolio to 292 pubs, bars and restaurants across the UK and safeguarding more than 1,500 jobs.​

PBR has been run by administrators BDO since August after a £52m buy-out deal with the Reuben Brothers fell through and failed to save it.

Orchid's acquisition includes the Living Room and Prohibition brands. It follows the group's purchase of 10 Bar Room Bar sites in June after that company also went into administration.

Rufus Hall, Orchid chief executive, said: "This purchase further cements Orchid’s commitment to growth, and we are delighted to have completed what is an important development for the business.

Future plans​

Over the next 12 months the group intends to roll out a £3m capital investment programme across the estate.

Hall told BigHospitality the priority for all the sites was to 'get them into a safe harbour'. "The business (PBR) has been up in the air for most of 2008 so we'll be getting our arms around the management and staff and giving them a bit of TLC before we do anything else," he said.

Hall said the deal had given Orchid the chance to return to the high street and confirmed that the Living Room and Bel & The Dragon brands would remain with all other sites to be looked at individually.

The move will also see Orchid re-open PBR's former Newcastle head office in Moseley Street, where eight full time members of staff will be based.

The Orchid Group itself went into administration in December 2008 but administrators PriceWaterhouseCoopers managed to secure an immediate sale of the business with the existing management team staying on to lead the group.

Acquired sites:​

London:​ Prohibition, The Living Room

Edinburgh:​ The Living Room

Glasgow:​ The Living Room

Belfast:​ Bambu Beach Club, Irene & Nans, Barbacca

Newcastle:​ Jimmyz Bar, Waterside Hotel, Attic, City Vaults, Chase, The Lodge, Blu Bambu, The Living Room Sea

Sunderland:​ Chase, Blu Bambu

Durham:​ Klute, Chase

South Shields​ Chase

Whitley Bay​ Rex Hotel, Coast Bars

Leeds:​ Halo/Quilted Llama, The Living Room, Prohibition

York​ The Living Room

Huddersfield​ Cotton Factory

Manchester:​ The Living Room, Prohibition

Liverpool:​ The Living Room

Chester:​ The Living Room

Derby:​ Coyote Wild

Nottingham​Prohibition, The Living Room

Mansfield​ Coyote

Bristol​ The Living Room

Oxford​ The Living Room

Milton Keynes​ The Living Room

Berkshire:​ Bel & The Dragon (Cookham, Reading & Windsor)

Surrey​ Bel & The Dragon (Godalming)