Thwaites Increases Pub Tally with Prospect Deal

Lancashire-based brewery Thwaites has joined forces with Wigan’s Prospect Brewery to open a new pub with a unique range of cask ales.

Thwaites has agreed a deal to buy The Foresters Arms at Shevington Moor which is to be renamed the Silver Tally and run by Prospect Brewery. The new name is in honour of the Prospect Brewery’s best selling beer and nods to Wigan’s mining roots – a silver tally was the coin given by the miners to exchange for a meal when they had completed overtime.

The new pub will be the first for the Prospect Brewery which has so far concentrated on brewing beer, but will add to Thwaites’ existing estate of 340 pubs. Thwaites is also to invest £80k in refurbishing the pub which will reopen on 1st June 2012. Serving locally sourced, traditional home-cooked food, the pub will become Prospect’s official brewery tap. It will stock a rotating range of Thwaites and Prospect Brewery’s cask ales as well as cask ciders and bottled beers.

Andrew Buchanan, director of pub operations at Thwaites said: “We’re excited about the partnership with Prospect Brewery, which is a first for Thwaites. The Foresters Arms has the potential to be a successful and popular pub with the right person at the helm and we’re in no doubt that Patsy and her team are the people to drive its success when it re-opens as the Silver Tally in June.

“Prospect are proven entrepreneurs, significantly growing the brewery over the past five years. The Silver Tally will provide an outlet for Prospect to showcase its beer and fulfil customer demand to further develop the business.

“By partnering with Thwaites, Patsy and the team will have access to expert advice and support on successfully running a pub as well as our full beer range, including a choice of imported draught lagers, wines, spirits and soft drinks. We look forward to a long and prosperous partnership.”

Patsy said: “Anybody who knows me will know that I have been very measured in my approach to taking on our first pub.

“We have thought about this for a long time and The Foresters Arms fits because it will be the perfect place for people to visit to drink proper beer, served properly in proper condition, and in a convivial atmosphere. There will be no juke box, gaming machines or satellite sports coverage – it will all be about a great atmosphere with great beers where the customer is king.”

Thwaites was recently awarded the Best Tenanted/Leased Pub Company (200 plus sites) accolade at the prestigious 2012 Publican Awards.