Heron and Brearley, the Island’s biggest hospitality company, is set to significantly expand its operations in the north of England after acquiring Market Town Taverns, an operator of pubs based in Knaresborough, north Yorkshire. Founded in 1999 Market Town Taverns operates 15 managed houses located across north and west Yorkshire. The business focuses on the Real Ale trade, with all of its pubs listed in the 2012 CAMRA Good Beer Guide and holding Cask Marque accreditation. Heron and Brearley’s retail director Steven Taylor said: ‘Acquiring Market Town Taverns is very much a coup for Heron and Brearley. An acquisition package of this calibre is extremely rare, given the level of consolidation industry-wide in the current economic climate. Market Town Taverns is a well-run operation and the company’s business model, with its strong focus on delivering excellent customer service, complements that of Heron and Brearley. ‘We see the acquisition of the Market Town Taverns estate as a valuable addition to our portfolio in terms of size and scale, one that presents us with opportunities to strengthen our presence in the UK by gaining a foothold in Yorkshire and, in the longer term, expand across the north of England, drawing on our combined expertise in management, logistics and control. The acquisition not only presents opportunities to introduce new offerings to Isle of Man consumers, but also to enhance staff career development both locally and in Yorkshire, and to promote the Isle of Man to a new and wider audience. ‘There will be no immediate changes to our Isle of Man operation, while in Yorkshire we shall be working with Market Town Taverns’ managing director Ian Fozard to integrate the company into the Heron and Brearley group and take the business forward into what I am confident will be a new and exciting direction.’ ENDS