Stonegate Pub Company has acquired Bar Fever Ltd, which operates 32 venues comprising late night bars located in towns and cities throughout England.
Bar Fever, which was established in 2007 with the opening of its first Fever site in Cheltenham (pictured), operates under a variety of trading concepts such as Fever, Boutique, Zinc and Moo Moo.
Stonegate plans to operate the sites acquired as part of the deal, adding to the 90 late-night venues the group currently runs.
In a joint statement, Mark Shorting and Nigel Blair, founding directors of Fever Bars, said, “We have had a fantastic 11 years building Fever from one venue into a company of 32 sites. The key to Fever Bars’ success has been putting our people and customers first. We are so grateful to have had so many good people at all levels within the company, focused on customer experience and delivering superb entertainment.
“We believe Stonegate is the right company for our people and venues to flourish. We look forward to seeing the enlarged group maximise the future growth potential of the Fever family and its venues.”
Additionally, Stonegate has exchanged contracts to acquire a further six bars from Novus Leisure. All six bars are in prime central London locations and follow soon after the initial acquisition of 15 bars from Novus’ late night bar division in July 2018.
Stonegate chief executive Simon Longbottom said, “These are two excellent acquisitions for Stonegate which play to our strengths both in terms of market positioning and geography.
“Fever Bars is a business we have watched with interest - and admired - for some time. It is a great cultural fit with our existing portfolio, complementing Stonegate’s businesses, as well as giving us a presence in some new locations.
“We look forward to working with the Fever Bars team, as well as new colleagues who will be joining Stonegate from Novus, and welcoming them into the wider Group.”
The pub giant also owns Yates and the Slug and Lettuce brands, together with more than 690 pubs and bars around the UK.