Royal Oak owners rebranding

The Bulldog Hotel Group, the new owners of the Royal Oak Hotel, has been renamed as The Coaching Inn Group.

The market town coaching inns specialist is setting the seal on its sector leadership ambitions by rebranding.

The Lincolnshire-headquartered company, which has grown from two to eight sites since launching in 2007, is investing £20 million on expansion over the next five years, changed its name officially on August 1st.

Founder and managing director of The Coaching Inn Group Kevin Charity said: “Our aim is to be the number one operator of regional inns in the country and the name change is the natural next step for us, giving the market a very clear signal as to our sector leadership ambitions.

“We have a very clear strategy for acquiring high quality coaching inns in busy market towns and revitalising them in order to compete against a backdrop of ever-improving food, drink and accommodation offers across the UK.

“The traditional coaching inn continues to be the key hospitality venue in a large number of towns across the country and the sector continues to provide excellent opportunities for growth and investment.

“The name change is a clear statement of intent to stay true to that model, keeping casual dining at the heart of what we do while continuing to expand our increasing portfolio of bedrooms.”

Bulldog recently announced the appointment of Andrew Guy as Non-Executive Chairman, bringing more than 30 years’ experience operating pub, food and restaurant chains across Europe and the US, including Ed’s Easy Diner and Frankie & Benny’s.

The independent group, which has secured a £4.5 million investment from the Business Growth Fund to support its £20 million expansion, has been named one of the London Stock Exchange Group’s 1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain.

The company made its first acquisition in the wake of Business Growth Fund’s £4.5m investment earlier this year, buying the 25-bedroom Royal Oak Hotel in Welshpool, which has subsequently been refurbished.

Its Talbot Inn in Oundle, Northamptonshire is currently Les Routiers Hotel of the Year.