The business owners of Swithland’s The Griffin Inn are investing £1 million into an extensive renovation of the pub, in conjunction with Everards.
The gastro pub forms part of The Cat & Wickets Pub Company, owned by ex-England cricketers Harry Gurney and Stuart Broad. Over the past year, £75,000 has been spent on refreshing the pub’s interiors and creating an elevated courtyard. A further £1 million is to be spent on further renovations, with work due to start at the beginning of January 2024.
The kitchen will be overhauled to double its existing size and will include fully electric equipment. The Old Stables will be transformed into an additional dining space within the gastro pub, creating 80 more covers. 30 additional covers will also be created in the courtyard as part of the planned work.
The management team anticipates a 60% increase in turnover following the renovations, which will equate to a 60% uplift in available working hours. As a result, the team anticipate that 20 new jobs will be created alongside progression opportunities for the existing team.
The management team hope to reopen the pub’s doors in March.
Harry Gurney, Managing Director at The Cat & Wickets Pub Company, says: “We’re really excited about this next round of renovations. I’m a Loughborough lad, and Stuart and I both know that we are simply caretakers of a pub that has meant a lot to the local community for hundreds of years.
“We promise to continually nurture and cherish it, while always looking for new and innovative ways to improve the customer experience along the way.”
Matt Crehan, business relationship manager at Everards, said: “We’re delighted to work with the Griffin team to bring their vision for the pub to life. In 2023, we’ve invested over £4 million in supporting our business owners with repairs and investments.
“We look forward to kickstarting 2024 by supporting the Griffin and the Swithland community by investing in their pub.”
