Acting of behalf of the owners of the Hour Glass on Melbourne Street by Exeter Quay, Vickery Holman are very pleased to confirm that Exeter Brewery will be taking over the premises and will be reopening well in time for Christmas.
Allan Collyer of Exeter Brewery comments: ‘I am delighted to say that we will shortly be reopening the famous Hour Glass Inn. After many months of negotiation we have managed to secure the long term future of this much loved historic pub. I am especially pleased to say the Hour Glass will also no longer be a tied pub, but completely free of tie, which will mean a greater chance of long-term prosperity and greater operating freedom. This is the first time in living memory, I believe, that the Hour Glass will be completely free of any tie. We certainly were not looking to take on a pub at the present time, but the Hour Glass is such an iconic and well-loved pub, also a personal favourite, I felt we had to try to save it. Needless to say, these are challenging times in the hospitality industry, and the timing for opening the pub could be better, which has now effectively been closed for eighteen months. We had to take the opportunity when it arose however, and though initially opening up will be a significant challenge, I believe we will soon overcome these challenges and get the Hour Glass back to offering the high-quality food and drink that it is famous for. We would like to acknowledge the efforts of the owners agent, Mike Easton, of Vickery Holman, who have helped us put this deal together and get us “over the line”. We intend opening the bar on Wednesday evening, the 8th December and the restaurant on Thursday 9th. Finally, I would like to express my thanks for all the hundreds of good wishes and support that we have received in our bid to secure the future of the Hour Glass Inn.
The Hour Glass is an interesting grade II listed building over three floors plus a lower ground floor. The trade areas provide for a public bar, dining room and separate cellar bar within which there is much character and charm. There is a fully fitted commercial kitchen and the living accommodation provides for 3/4 rooms, lounge, office and kitchen over the two upper floors.
Mike Easton at Vickery Holman dealt with process and comments: ‘I have known the Hour Glass for many years and dealt with an assignment in the early noughties when it was put on the map by long terms tenants who moved on last year. We ran a process to find a safe pair of hands to take on what really is a genuine institution and very quickly were having conversations with a number of experienced publicans, following which our client wanted to move forward with Alan Collyer of Exeter Brewery as he was head and shoulders above the rest in a competitive field. I know that colleagues and contacts in many of the Exeter business community will be delighted with the news and I look forward to seeing Alan and team in situ and trading before Christmas’
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