Pub group Liberation sold for £118m

Investment firm Caledonia Investments has agreed to buy pub firm Liberation group from LGV Capital for £118m.

Liberation, founded in 2008 through a management buy-in led by chief executive Mark Crowther, owns and operates a pub and drinks business located in the Channel Islands and the West Country in the UK.

It has 94 managed and tenanted pubs, two breweries and three wholesale businesses. The breweries are located in Jersey and Bristol.

In December 2014, Liberation acquired the Butcombe Brewery and pubs business located near Bristol as a platform for expansion in the UK. Butcombe owns 20 pubs in the West Country in village and suburban locations.

Caledonia is backing the existing management team, providing an additional £40m of funding for investment in its existing estate and acquisitions in both its heartland in the Channel Islands and the West Country.

Richard Grainger will be appointed chair of the group board following completion of the acquisition, succeeding Graham Turner who has served as chairman since 2008.

Crowther said: "I would like to thank LGV and our chairman, Graham Turner, for their advice and support during the last eight years. We are delighted to have a new partner to provide funds and insight to continue the growth of Liberation where expansion will be focused on the buy-and-build strategy in the UK whilst simultaneously growing and developing our business in the Channel Islands.

"Our customers want to enjoy great pubs with fabulous beer in their local community, offering value for money. We will continue to deliver that through investment, innovation and excellent customer service. We are excited about the next phase of our development and look forward to working with Caledonia on delivering further success for our new shareholders, employees and customers."

Michael Mowlem, managing director of LGV, said: "We have backed the business during a period of significant development, providing EBITDA growth every year of our ownership. We would like to thank the entire senior management team and all the staff for their hard work in making this a successful investment for all stakeholders and wish them every success for the exciting future offered under new ownership."

Duncan Johnson, head of unquoted investments at Caledonia, said: "Caledonia has developed a strong relationship with Mark Crowther and his team over a number of years and we are delighted to become Liberation's new financial partner. We are attracted to the business by its high quality pub estate and leading market position in the markets in which it operates. We believe that with Caledonia's longer term support Liberation will be ideally placed to take advantage of growth opportunities, both within its existing estate and through further selective acquisitions."

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