Exclusive – Punch acquires pub package from RedCat Hospitality: Punch Pubs & Co, the Fortress-backed operator of circa 1,300 community pubs, has acquired an eight-strong package of pubs from RedCat Hospitality, for an undisclosed sum, Propel has learned. The eight pubs are the Broad Leys in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire; the Bull in Barming, Kent; the Cross Keys in Nottingham; the Crown Inn in Old Dalby, Leicestershire; the Hare in Roxwell, Essex; the Nags Head in Little Kingshill, Buckinghamshire; the Prince Rupert in Newark, Nottinghamshire; and the Wig & Mitre in Lincoln. Propel revealed in January that RedCat Hospitality, which operates the award-winning The Coaching Inn Group, was to become a focused pub-with-rooms operator and exit its circa 20-strong managed pub division. This is the first stage of that exit. Punch said the deal supports its continued investment in “high-quality community pubs as part of its vision to be recognised as the UK’s five-star pub company”, while enabling RedCat to “sharpen its focus” on expanding its 43-strong premium pubs with rooms portfolio. Andy Spencer, chief executive of Punch Pubs & Co, said: “We are delighted to welcome these new pubs into our business. Each pub represents an opportunity to invest, innovate, and inspire and we look forward to working with these much-loved sites and the passionate publicans that run them, to ensure they continue to thrive within the communities they serve. I would especially like to thank Kamran Aziz and the Queensway Advisory team, who continue to provide their management services as the pubs and their teams transfer into the Punch business.” Punch said it continues to explore additional opportunities for “quality acquisitions that complement its forward-looking vision and growth plans”. For RedCat, this deal follows the sale of its leased and tenanted pubs division to Admiral Taverns at the end of 2025 – in a deal valued at circa £10m, again supporting its move to focus entirely on its premium pubs-with-rooms arm. RedCat Hospitality chief executive Richard Lewis said: “This is an important next step for the business and reflects our strategy to focus on fortifying our position as the leading hospitality group dedicated to operating the UK’s best collection of premium inns. We are delighted to have reached agreement with the team at Punch Pubs, which we know will prove an excellent custodian for these high-quality pubs. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the teams in each of the sites for all their hard work and dedication to making them a success and look forward to seeing them go from strength to strength under the ownership of Punch.” Sapient Corporate Finance advised RedCat on the deals with Punch and Admiral. Last month, Propel exclusively revealed that RedCat had hired advisers to assess the next stage of funding options for The Coaching Inn Group, which could include a sale of the UK’s fourth-largest pubs-with-rooms operator. Punch and RedCat feature in the Premium Club Turnover & Profits Blue Book, the latest edition of which features 1,244 companies. Punch’s revenue of £337.9m for the year ended 10 August 2025 is the 41st highest in the database while RedCat’s turnover of £124.3m for the 12 months to the end of March 2025 is the 109th highest. The single subscription Propel Premium rate is £495 plus VAT for operators and £595 plus VAT for suppliers. Companies can have an unlimited number of people receive access to Propel Premium for a year for £995 plus VAT – whether they are an operator or a supplier. A new Premium Unlimited Plus option, which costs £1,995 plus VAT per annum, has some amazing additional benefits including four free tickets to Propel’s paid-for conferences – Excellence in Pub & Bar (19 May), Operational Excellence (9 July) and Talent & Training (15 October) – and the opportunity to run one free sponsored message or situation vacant notice during the year on the newsletter. Email kai.kirkman@propelinfo.com to upgrade your subscription.