THE Feathers Hotel has new owners following a corporate buy-out, but the iconic venue will continue to trade with its current management and staff.

 

The change in ownership comes after the former boss of pubs giant Greene King bought the company which owns the Ledbury landmark.

 

Rooney Anand, who ran Greene King for 14 years, snapped up the The Coaching Inn Group's 18 historic buildings through his investment vehicle, RedCat Pub Company.

 

The Coaching Inn Group was founded in 1996 and specialises in historic sites in historic market towns, including the Cotswolds, the Peak District and Cambridgeshire, as well as The Feathers in the town’s High Street.

 

The hotel was previously owned and operated by the Elliston family for more than 40 years. It first opened its doors as a lodging house in 1564 — the same year that William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon.

 

In 2018, it was announced that the Tudor-era building — which boasts a brasserie with a hop-clad ceiling and a 60-cover restaurant — had been snapped up by the Coaching Inn Group as part of a £50 million expansion programme. 

 

Following a £300,000 refurbishment, it was officially reopened by town mayor Phillip Howells in July 2019. 

 

The current boss of the hotel group Kevin Charity and finance chief Edward Walsh will continue to lead and run the business within RedCat, and to build on its “presence, scale and momentum”, the company said.

 

The amount paid has not been disclosed.

 

RedCat was launched in February of this year following the raising of £200 million from investors through its partner, Oaktree Capital Management.

 

It recently bought 42 pubs across England and Wales from Stonegate Pub Company and remains on the look out to acquire more sites.

 

Bosses are looking to buy both retail and tenanted pubs, as well as pub hotels across the UK to support their growth after emerging from the pandemic.

 

Mr Anand, executive chairman of RedCat, said: “I am delighted that the Coaching Inn Group is becoming part of RedCat. It’s a business I’ve long admired and Kevin Charity is a class act. I look forward to building our pub hotels business and building our business together.”

 

Mr Charity said: “I’m confident that, with RedCat’s support, we can continue our momentum and grow our footprint of historic pub hotels.”