Amber Taverns ramping up expansion after record year

Pub group Amber Taverns has revealed it is adding at least another 17 new sites to its estate after a “landmark year” that saw it notch up record sales.

The firm, which was bought by private equity firm Epiris in October last year, said it has already opened 11 new sites, with aims to ramp this up by the end of the year to next February.

It comes after the group opened nine new pubs last year.

Amber Taverns, which now has 184 pubs, said it was focusing expanding its chain across the south of England while also looking to “leverage its success” nationwide.

Its most recent opening was the Erasmus Wolfe pub, which opened on September 1 in Gosport, Hampshire.

Other new Amber Taverns pubs have opened this year in the following locations:

– Airdrie, North Lanarkshire, Scotland
– Bathgate, West Lothian, Scotland
– Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Wales
– Gosport, Hampshire
– Guiseley, West Yorkshire
– Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
– Johnstone, Renfrewshire, Scotland
– Leith, City of Edinburgh, Scotland
– Motherwell, North Lanarkshire, Scotland
– Norton, North Yorkshire, England
– Taunton, Somerset, England

Another six are still to open, with future openings secured in the following locations:

– Whitchurch, Cardiff (December)
– Helensburgh, Nottingham (January)
= Bearwood, West Midlands (January)

The plans come after it saw pre-tax profits rise 7% to £19.1 million in the year to February 2025 as revenues lifted 9% to an all-time high of £119.9 million and like-for-like sales were 3.5% higher.

But it said sales growth in the first half of its new financial year eased back to stand “marginally ahead” as it came up against strong trading a year earlier due to the 2024 Euros football championship.

It said that like-for-like sales rose “encouragingly” in the past 12 weeks, up 5%.

James Baer, chairman of Amber Taverns, said it had been a “landmark year for Amber Taverns”.

He hit out at the Government’s move in April to increase national insurance contributions and the minimum wage, which has sent salary costs soaring.

“Despite the best efforts of the Government to dampen consumer confidence and impose unwelcome additional cost on the sector, we believe a well-invested, modern community pub with an engaged and motivated operator will continue to prove a relevant and robust business model,” he said.

He added: “We are very encouraged with the response to the opening of our most southerly pub to date in Gosport recently and look forward to increasing our southern footprint as we progress our ambition to build a nationwide presence for Amber.”

The group said it took early “management action” to offset the worst of the cost hikes.

As a drinks-led chain, it also avoided a hit from the rising food and ingredients costs that have impacted many of its rivals, according to the firm.