Apprise acquired its first site, the Refectory in Hampton Hill, in April 2018. This was followed in August 2018 by the acquisition of a closed site in the centre of Wokingham, which was previously operated by Café Rouge.

Steve Kenee, Investment Director at Downing says:

“Despite the headwinds facing the high street, we continue to see opportunities to back strong operators and food & beverage concepts. We know Peter Borg-Neal and the rest of the management team behind Oakman Inns well, having partnered with them for a number of years. They know that we can act quickly as and when opportunities present themselves and have a thorough understanding of the sector.”

Peter Borg-Neal, CEO of Oakman Inns says:

This latest investment in Apprise comes from Downing-managed VCT funds and Downing EIS. Downing is an experienced investor in the pub sector with over £100 million invested in pubs across the UK.

Downing LLP has provided £4.7 million of equity to Apprise Pubs Limited, a pub company seeking to acquire closed freehold sites in the Home Counties and convert them into high-quality gastropubs. The pubs will be operated by the multi-award winning[1] team at Oakman Inns.