Croeso Pubs Ltd, which already runs seven venues including The Philharmonic and Brewhouse in Cardiff, is taking over the lease of The Bear’s Head, Penarth.
The pub in Windsor Road, Penarth, was formerly run by JD Wetherspoon, which announced its sudden closure in March when it decided not to renew the lease on the venue. It will re-open in July.
The Bear’s Head is the second ‘community pub’ for Croeso pubs. In December last year, it refurbished The Discovery, in Lakeside, Cardiff, following a £400,000 investment.
In the past few months, it has also extended the Blue Bell, in Cardiff’s city centre, moving into the former Brew Monster bar next door. And in January, 2023, it also acquired the lease for The Dock in Cardiff Bay. It also operates the Philharmonic and the Brewhouse in Cardiff.
“Our recent acquisition of The Dock, in Mermaid Quay, and The Discovery, in Cardiff’s Lakeside, has given us a blueprint for success and delivers what our customers tell us they want, particularly through the promotion of live sport and affordable food,” said Croeso Pubs director, Simon Little.
“We are really pleased to be able to add a venue in Penarth to our growing portfolio and hope to replicate the success we’ve had in our other venues to The Bear’s Head by delivering what the people of Penarth want in their local pub.
“We aren’t planning on changing what is already a winning formula at The Bear’s Head. The prices will mostly remain the same, along with enhancements like welcoming well-behaved dogs, and the option to book your favourite table.”
Fellow director Craig Davies added: “The Bear’s Head fits extremely well with our model of acquiring larger sites, and we are hopeful that we can not only secure the jobs of the staff currently working there, but also create new ones as we extend our offering.
“We now have a successful formula that we have worked hard to refine when taking over new pubs, which fulfils our determination to provide quality venues for the communities we operate in.
“The fact that the community launched a petition when the closure of The Bear’s Head was announced demonstrates that this is a place that matters to locals, and this only galvanises our resolve to invest in this ‘must visit’ pub in Penarth. It is our intention to run the business along the same ‘value lines’ as the local community previously enjoyed.”
