Heartwood Collection secures £100m for ‘ambitious’ growth plans

Heartwood Collection has secured £100m of additional funding as it prepares to grow its portfolio to over 60 pubs and nearly 500 rooms by June 2027.

The hospitality and pub group founded by Raymond Blanc and Mark Derry announced that funding will be used to acquire freehold pubs and pubs with rooms across the UK over the next four years.

It also revealed aims to develop 500 boutique bedrooms, which would bring the total number of Heartwood employees to 2,700.

Funding is made up of a £50m banking facility from OakNorth Bank and £50m from Alchemy Partners, which acquired the business in 2022.

Heartwood said it is expecting a further £50m investment to bolster its growth plans.

It comes after the group reported “strong recent trading”, as well as acquiring 11 freehold sites over the past year.

Five further acquisitions are due to take place over the summer.

Richard Ferrier, managing director of Heartwood Collection, said: “This additional support from OakNorth and Alchemy is testament to the strength of the business that the team at Heartwood is building. It will enable us to build on our success to date as we focus on growing Heartwood Collection into the UK’s leading premium pubs and pubs-with-rooms business.”

Derry added: “While ambitious, we are confident that our combination of highly skilled chefs, warm hospitality and character-filled pubs leaves us ideally placed within a market which is considerably underserved.”

Heartwood Collection was formerly known as Brasserie Bar Co and has over 30 sites across the UK trading under the White Brasserie Company and Brasserie Blanc brands.