Inn operator secures £4.5m investment

Kevin Charity, the founder of Bulldog (left) with Edward Walsh, finance director

In the days before the train, nearly every village had its own inn, which was a focal point for tradesmen and wayfarers.

Some of these old inns are being revived, with help from a fast-growing business.

The coaching inns operator Bulldog Hotel Group, which owns The Old Bridge Inn and Coffee House in Holmfirth, West Yorkshire, has secured a £4.5m investment from the Business Growth Fund to support its planned £20m expansion across England. The business operates seven hotels, and will use the capital injection to double the number of properties in its portfolio over the next four years.

The founder and managing director, Kevin Charity, is now looking to acquire more properties in market towns around the UK.

To support the planned growth, Edward Walsh joined as finance director earlier this year, and became a shareholder in the business through an investment made by Commer Group.

Mr Charity said: “We have ambitious plans for the next few years, which are centred on finding and acquiring the right estates in the right locations,”