Over 1,000 jobs created as 110 old Beefeater, Brewers and Cookhouse sites to reopen

More than 100 former UK pub and restaurant sites are set to get a new lease of life as they reopen under new ownership. All Whitbread-owned Beefeater, Brewers Fayre and Cookhouse + Pub venues were closed last month after the company retired several of its hospitality brands. A total of 261 venues across the UK closed down, including Bar + Block and Table Table sites. However, many have now been acquired by Queensway Inns and Common Table Group, and are set to reopen. 110 Whitbread sites, including Beefeater and Brewers Fayre, to reopen Queensway Inns has taken over 53 sites, including locations in Great Yarmouth, Dover and Glastonbury, and plans to relaunch them as "value pubs." The group said more than 900 team members could be transferred into new roles as part of the reopening. Meanwhile, Common Table Group, a newly established hospitality firm, announced earlier this week that it planned to acquire 57 sites, with the deal also including one Premier Inn hotel. Common Table Group announced that all sites would be up and running again "as soon as possible", with the first opening planned in mid-November, according to reports. Thomas Anderson, founder of Common Table Group, said: "We’re building an entrepreneurial business with a local feel, where our teams are empowered to make decisions and shape each venue around the people and communities it serves." Mr Anderson added that the sites will "remain restaurants at heart" and will offer an all-day food and drink menu designed for both hotel guests and diners. He also confirmed that the new venues will include a coffee offering from his London-based doughnut brand, Rodeo Doughnuts. The company’s website describes the concept as "an all-day restaurant and barista-style coffee bar. "Whether it’s breakfast, lunch, dinner or something in between, there’s always a seat at our table." More than 700 jobs will be created from the Common Table sites, with a similar number expected at the Queensway Inn locations. According to The Sun, here is a list of some of the sites confirmed to be saved and reopening under new ownership: - Ashbridge Inn — Table Table (Cwmbran, Gwent) - Balkerne Gate — Table Table (Colchester, Essex) - Bideford — Brewers Fayre (Bideford, Devon) - Bowling Green — Table Table (Clacton-on-Sea, Essex) - Brampton Hut — Brewers Fayre (Brampton, Huntingdon) - Brookes Oast — Brewers Fayre (Paddock Wood, Tonbridge) - Broomside Park — Beefeater (Durham) - Cannon Inn — Beefeater (Truro, Cornwall) - Cotton Mill — Cookhouse + Pub (Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire) - Craig House — Brewers Fayre (Musselburgh, Edinburgh) - French Connection — Table Table (Ashford, Kent) - Glastonbury — Brewers Fayre (Glastonbury) - Great Yarmouth South Beach Road — Beefeater (Yarmouth) - Great Yarmouth Restaurant — Beefeater (Yarmouth) - Griff House — Beefeater (Nuneaton) - Hampton Inn — Brewers Fayre (Peterborough) - Horse & Jockey — Table Table (Dunstable) - Kembrey Inn — Brewers Fayre (Swindon) - Kincardine Way — Brewers Fayre (Falkirk) - King William IV — Brewers Fayre (Olscotes, Worksop) - Langton Inn — Table Table (Harborough) - Leamington Spa Town Centre — Bar + Block (Lemington Spa) - Liskeard Tavern – Whitbread Inn (Liskeard) - Loggans Moor — Brewers Fayre (Hayle, Cornwall) - Mains of Balquharn — Brewers Fayre (Portlethen) - Mill of Mundurno — Table Table (Bridge of Don, Aberdeen) - Monkey Puzzle — Brewers Fayre (Farnbrough) - Moor Mill — Beefeater (Radlett) - Morris Dancers — Beefeater (Scarisbrick, Ormskirk) - Ocean Park — Brewers Fayre (Cardiff) - Old Nelson — Brewers Fayre (Stroud) - Oyster Reach — Beefeater (Ipswich) - Pantruthyn Farm — Table Table (Bridgend) - Preston Brook — Beefeater (Runcorn) - Smugglers Retreat — Table Table (Ramsgate) - Stourbridge Town Centre – Premier Inn (Stourbridge) - Swallow — Brewers Fayre (Ipswich) - The Bridgewater Arms – Whitbread (Halmer End) - The Colliers — Table Table (Rugeley, Staffordshire) - The Freeman — Cookhouse + Pub (Bridlington) - The Howgate — Brewers Fayre (Whitehaven) - The Longford Inn – Beefeater (Cannock) - The May Tree – Whitbread (Helston) - The Plough, Dover — Beefeater (Dover) - Three Fish — Beefeater (Newport) - Trevithick Inn — Table Table (Camborne) - Twelve Bells — Beefeater (Gloucester) - White Hart, Guestling — Beefeater (Hastings) - Whiteley — Bar + Block (Farnham) - Widnes — Brewers Fayre (Cheshire) Why did Beefeater and Brewers Fayre sites close? The closures of all the Whitbread sites last month came as part of its wider five-year growth strategy, which the company said is necessary to achieve £250 million in cost savings. All of its 261 standalone branded restaurants across the UK were closed last month, including: Whitbread plans to convert some former restaurant sites into additional Premier Inn rooms and expects to generate around £1.5 billion from the sale of freehold properties to support further expansion. Beefeater and Brewers Fayre were significant losses for many UK restaurant-goers, with the former founded 52 years ago in 1974. Dominic Paul, chief executive of Whitbread, said: "We always challenge ourselves to improve and, in light of significant cost increases in the form of business rates and national insurance, as well as the implied market discount to our inherent value, we’ve looked hard at the options open to us to maximise value creation over the medium and long-term. "This has been a rigorous process and we’ve approached all options with an open mind. "Our new five-year plan builds on our strengths and drives a significant acceleration of our strategy. "This plan will transform Whitbread into a higher-margin, higher-returning pure-play hotel business. "We’re going to go further and faster to deliver a great experience for our guests and high-quality growth and returns for our shareholders." Recommended reading: - 55 jobs lost as UK engineering company enters administration after 20 years - UK travel company to close after 15 years as it collapses into liquidation - UK crisp company stocked in Tesco closes after 54 years as it enters administration While Whitbread said it aimed to redeploy as many affected staff as possible, the closures resulted in approximately 3,800 job losses. A spokesperson for the company said: "We will do all we can to support those colleagues affected." The group currently owns about 86,600 hotel rooms and aims to increase this to 96,000 by the 2031 financial year. Did you go to any of the Whitbread restaurants like Beefeater and Brewers Fayre? Let us know in the comments.