It’s been a testing couple of years for the hospitality industry, but West Midlands-based Davenports Brewery is looking forward with the acquisition a new venue in the heart of Birmingham.
This week the brewery has signed a contract to add the much-loved Jekyll & Hyde, on Steel House Lane, to its portfolio of pubs with kitchens.
The popular bar won rave reviews for its quirky Victorian pub setting with retro touches, as well as the upstairs gin parlour and Alice in Wonderland-themed courtyard, which helped to make it one of the city’s original Instagrammable venues. A loss to the city’s social scene when it closed, it boasts a strong location for both day and evening visitors.
Davenports Brewery finance director, Ian Robinson, said: “Despite the testing climate, Davenports has gone from strength to strength, adding to its portfolio with considered venues in what we believe to be great locations.
“The Jekyll & Hyde was hugely popular, and whilst we have our own plans for a new theme and offering, we’re delighted to be able to build upon the reputation it had.”
He added: “Davenports was established in Birmingham and dominated the brewing industry for many years. The company pioneered technology and recycling in the 1930s, and in 1905 fought, and won, a famous ‘beer hawking’ case in the Victoria Law Courts. We relaunched our Beer At Home service in December last year also!
“Is it coincidence, or destiny, that we now have a venue just around the corner from those courts where that famous legal battle took place?”
Other acquisitions over the last 24 months include venues in Stourport, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Hednesford, and, yet to be announced, Worcester, Tamworth, and Stourbridge.
The company has also extensively refurbished existing venues over the last 18 months.
