Enterprise Inns and managed pub operator Oakman Inns & Restaurants have opened their first site under the Hunky Dory Pubs brand, following a £1.2m joint investment.
The news comes nearly three months after the duo announced their partnership under Enterprise's Managed Expert scheme. The scheme sees the pubco join with 'industry-leading' managed house operators 'to benefit from their retailing capability'. Partners so far have included Geronimo Inns founder Rupert Clevely, the Laine Pub Company, and Food & Fuel.
The new venue, The Beech House in Solihull is the third site to open within Oakman's fledgling Beech House brand and is the sixteenth within its wider portfolio.
Oakman Inns chief executive Peter Borg-Neal said: 'We are delighted to get the first Hunky Dory site open and I am confident that The Beech House, Solihull will be a huge success as our first class team of people and excellent concept provide all the ingredients for a compelling consumer offer.
'We were presented with a great building to work with and I believe we have managed to make the best of it.'
Enterprise Inns chief executive, Simon Townsend, said: 'The opening of our first Hunky Dory site marks an important milestone in the development of our Managed Expert model. We've worked closely with Peter to find the right venue and create the perfect retail offer to ensure the business will thrive.'
Borg-Neal added that Hunky Dory had identified four further sites and were working alongside Enterprise to identify several more.
