Mitchells & Butlers - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Mitchells & Butlers plc (also referred to as "M&B") runs around 2,000 managed pubs

Public house

A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...

, bar

Bar (establishment)

A bar is a business establishment that serves alcoholic drinks — beer, wine, liquor, and cocktails — for consumption on the premises.Bars provide stools or chairs that are placed at tables or counters for their patrons. Some bars have entertainment on a stage, such as a live band, comedians, go-go...

s and restaurant

Restaurant

A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...

s throughout the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. The Company's headquarters is in Birmingham

Birmingham

Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, United Kingdom

United Kingdom

. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange

London Stock Exchange

The London Stock Exchange is a stock exchange located in the City of London within the United Kingdom. , the Exchange had a market capitalisation of US$3.7495 trillion, making it the fourth-largest stock exchange in the world by this measurement...

and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index

FTSE 250 Index

The FTSE 250 Index is a capitalisation-weighted index consisting of the 101st to the 350th largest companies on the London Stock Exchange. Promotions to and demotions from the index take place quarterly in March, June, September and December...

Historic brewing company

The Mitchells & Butlers Brewery was formed when Henry Mitchell's old Crown Brewery (founded in Smethwick

Smethwick

Smethwick is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sandwell, in the West Midlands of England. It is situated on the edge of the city of Birmingham, within the historic boundaries of Staffordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire....

in 1866) merged with William Butler's Brewery (also founded in Smethwick

Smethwick

in 1866) in 1898. Henry Mitchell had moved to the Cape Hill

Cape Hill

Cape Hill is an area of the town of Smethwick, West Midlands. It is centre around the road of the same name and includes the adjoining streets, Cape Hill starts at Waterloo Road near Shireland High School and the end of the High Street near Victoria Park. Cape Hill ends at the start of the Dudley...

site in 1879 and this became the company's main brewing site. The company then merged with Bass

Bass (beer)

The Bass Brewery was founded as a brewery in 1777 by William Bass in Burton upon Trent, England. The main brand was Bass Pale Ale, which was once the highest selling beer in the UK...

in 1961. With the brand currently under ownership of Coors Brewers

Coors Brewing Company

The Coors Brewing Company is a regional division of the world's fifth-largest brewing company, the Canadian Molson Coors Brewing Company and is the third-largest brewer in the United States...

, the brewery

Brewing

Brewing is the production of beer through steeping a starch source in water and then fermenting with yeast. Brewing has taken place since around the 6th millennium BCE, and archeological evidence suggests that this technique was used in ancient Egypt...

closed in 2002 with production switched to Burton upon Trent

Burton upon Trent

Burton upon Trent, also known as Burton-on-Trent or simply Burton, is a town straddling the River Trent in the east of Staffordshire, England. Its associated adjective is "Burtonian"....

. The site is now a housing estate, although the Mitchell & Butler war memorial, built in 1920, has been retained and restored.

Their most famous beer was Brew XI , advertised with the slogan "for the men of the Midlands". It is now brewed under licence for Coors by Brains

Brains Brewery

Brains is a regional brewery founded in 1882 in Cardiff, Wales by Samuel Arthur Brain. The company owns over 250 pubs across South Wales, Mid Wales, the West Country and particularly in Cardiff...

of Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

Bass

Bass plc, based in Birmingham, transformed into separate brewing and retail divisions following the Beer Orders

Beer Orders

The Supply of Beer Order 1989 and The Supply of Beer Order 1989, commonly known as the Beer Orders, were Statutory Instruments made by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in December 1989.The Orders restricted the number of tied pubs that could be owned by large brewery groups in the...

of 1989 and then proceeded to build a large hotel portfolio alongside its bingo, betting and electronic leisure interests. In the late 1990s the latter interests were sold. On 21 July 1995, Bass bought 78 Harvester restaurants for £165 million from the Forte Group

Forte Group

Forte Group plc was a British hotel and restaurant company. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index until it was acquired by Granada PLC.-History:...

Six Continents

In 2000, Bass also divested its brewing arm and rebranded itself Six Continents

Six Continents

Six Continents was a large British-based retail business which was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was once a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index.-History:...

before another split in April 2003 into two separate companies, with the hotel assets forming InterContinental Hotels Group

InterContinental Hotels Group

InterContinental Hotels Group plc is a global hotels company headquartered in Denham, United Kingdom. It is the largest hotels company in the world measured by rooms , and has over 4,500 hotels across over 100 countries...

and the Mitchells & Butlers name brought back for the pubs and restaurants company. In March 2003, Six Continents fought off a proposed £5.5 billion takeover by Hugh Osmond

Hugh Osmond

Hugh Edward Mark Osmond is the founder of Punch Taverns, one of the United Kingdom's largest chains of public houses.-Career:Educated at Merton College, Oxford where he read Medicine, Hugh Osmond went to America in 1983 and worked in clubs for a while. He then joined a small investment bank in...

(Punch Taverns)

M & B

M & B was formed on 15 April 2003. In April 2006, it was approached by a consortium led by Robert Tchenguiz in a £2.7 billion takeover, which was dropped in May 2006.

In February 2008 Punch Taverns

Punch Taverns

Punch Taverns plc is the largest pub and bar operator in the United Kingdom, with around 6,800 leased, tenanted and managed pubs. It is headquartered in the traditional brewing centre of Burton upon Trent in Staffordshire...

offered to merge with M & B, but decided not to in April 2008. M & B then took an interest in Punch's subsidiary, Spirit Group.

Financial loss

In January 2008, Mitchells & Butlers announced significant losses (£274 million) arising out of closure of hedge positions

Hedge (finance)

A hedge is an investment position intended to offset potential losses that may be incurred by a companion investment.A hedge can be constructed from many types of financial instruments, including stocks, exchange-traded funds, insurance, forward contracts, swaps, options, many types of...

taken in anticipation of a property joint venture that were eventually cancelled due to the credit crunch

Credit crunch

A credit crunch is a reduction in the general availability of loans or a sudden tightening of the conditions required to obtain a loan from the banks. A credit crunch generally involves a reduction in the availability of credit independent of a rise in official interest rates...

caused by the 2007 subprime mortgage financial crisis.

Acquisitions

By 2006, it had 130 Harvester restaurants. In 2001, it added Arena, Ember Inns, Flares, Goose, Sizzling Pub Co, Browns, Alex and Inn Keeper's Lodge to its list of brands.

In July 2006, it purchased 239 pub restaurants (Beefeater and Brewers Fayre without a Premier Inn) from Whitbread

Whitbread

Whitbread PLC is a global hotel, coffee shop and restaurant company headquartered in Dunstable, United Kingdom. Its largest division is Premier Inn, which is the largest hotel brand in the UK with around 580 hotels and over 40,000 rooms. Its Costa Coffee chain has around 1,600 stores across 25...

for £497 million to strengthen its food business ahead of the introduction of a smoking ban in enclosed public spaces in England

Smoking ban in England

A smoking ban in England and Wales, making it illegal to smoke in all enclosed public places and enclosed work places in England, came into force on 1 July 2007 as a consequence of the Health Act 2006...

in 2007. It had first announced its interest in April 2006.

In July 2008 it bought 44 restaurants from Whitbread

Whitbread

- its former Brewers Fayre and Beefeater outlets that were not next to a Premier Inn.

In September 2010 it bought the 22 restaurants of the (upmarket) Ha Ha! chain from the Bay Restaurant Group

Bay Restaurant Group

The Bay Restaurant Group is a hospitality company in the United Kingdom, specialising in restaurant and pub chains.-History:The company originates from three former companies - Yates's, SFI Group and the Laurel Pub Company.-Laurel Pub Company:...

for £19.5 million. Twelve were turned into All Bar One and six into Browns Restaurants

Browns Restaurants

Browns Restaurants is a British chain of restaurants, mostly located in the south of England.Browns was the first hospitality venture established by millionaire Jeremy Mogford, who in 1973 invested £10,000 in the first Browns Restaurant and Bar in Brighton, East Sussex...

. The Ha Ha! brand disappeared.

Sale of pubs

In October 2006 it sold off 102 of its smaller community pubs to Chorley

Chorley

Chorley is a market town in Lancashire, in North West England. It is the largest settlement in the Borough of Chorley. The town's wealth came principally from the cotton industry...

-based Trust Inns for £101 million.

On 15 July 2010, it was announced Travelodge

Travelodge

Travelodge refers to several hotel chains around the world. Current operations include: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Republic of Ireland, New Zealand and Australia...

had acquired the leases of 52 Innkeeper’s Lodge Hotels around Glasgow

Glasgow

Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...

, Birmingham

Birmingham

, Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

, Northampton

Northampton

Northampton is a large market town and local government district in the East Midlands region of England. Situated about north-west of London and around south-east of Birmingham, Northampton lies on the River Nene and is the county town of Northamptonshire. The demonym of Northampton is...

, Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes

Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...

and Leeds

Leeds

Leeds is a city and metropolitan borough in West Yorkshire, England. In 2001 Leeds' main urban subdivision had a population of 443,247, while the entire city has a population of 798,800 , making it the 30th-most populous city in the European Union.Leeds is the cultural, financial and commercial...

areas from Mitchells & Butlers.

In November 2010 it sold 333 pubs to the Stonegate Pub Company (of London and owned by TDR Capital) for £373 million. These pubs were the drinks-focused (lower price) outlets such as Flares and Scream Pubs, which mostly had late-night licences. Also sold were High Street Bars & Venues, Town Pubs and Community Pubs. It is now a restaurant-led pub company. The smoking ban has had less of an effect on pubs serving food. It also sold its 25 Hollywood Bowl outlets in August 2010 for £39 million to AMF Bowling

AMF Bowling Center

AMF Bowling Centers, Inc. is the world's largest owner and operator of bowling centers, employing more than 10,000 people. The centers offer multi-lane Ten-pin bowling for all ages, support league play, and local events such as Dollar Mania and Late Night College Fest as well as Xtreme Bowling...

Operations

Mitchells & Butlers now owns several brands of pubs, including:

Harvester
Harvester (restaurant)
Harvester Restaurants is a popular family farmhouse-style licensed restaurant chain with more than 170 outlets in the United Kingdom.-History:-Courage:...
Sizzling Pub Co.
Toby Carvery
Toby Carvery
Toby Carvery is a British carvery chain brand owned and operated by Mitchells and Butlers. The brand has been in operation for over 30 years. The chain is one of the most popular in the UK, serving 21 Million meals last year....
Crown Carveries
Ember Inns
All Bar One
All Bar One
All Bar One is a chain of bars in the UK, owned and operated by Mitchells and Butlers plc which was part of the Six Continents group until 2003....
Browns Restaurants
Browns Restaurants
Browns Restaurants is a British chain of restaurants, mostly located in the south of England.Browns was the first hospitality venture established by millionaire Jeremy Mogford, who in 1973 invested £10,000 in the first Browns Restaurant and Bar in Brighton, East Sussex...
Reflex
O'Neill's

Other brands and concepts include: Miller & Carter, Vintage Inns, Castle, Edwards, Babylon, Lakota, Project Tokyo, Nicholson's and Bar Alex (Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

) and their newest brand, being Samuel Cooper Freehouses.

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