New owners for Royal Oak

The Royal Oak is under new ownership after its parent company was bought by a company owned by former Greene King boss Rooney Anand.

RedCat Pub Company is acquiring the 18-strong Coaching Inn Group, which includes the Royal Oak.

The Coaching Inn Group, founded in 1996 by chief executive Kevin Charity, has its roots in Boston, Lincolnshire, and has reinvigorated many buildings in UK market towns.

Charity and chief financial officer Edward Walsh will continue to lead and run the business within RedCat, which will help and support the group to continue its expansion throughout the UK.

Anand, executive chairman of RedCat Pub Company, said: “I'm 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.”

Charity added: “I’m very excited at the prospect of our business becoming part of RedCat. It's a great opportunity to be part of an entrepreneurial venture and to work with such talented and seasoned pub executives. I'm confident that with RedCat's support, we can continue our momentum and grow our footprint of historic pub hotels.”

RedCat is backed by funds managed by Oaktree Capital Management. It launched in February and in recent months has acquired 42 pubs across England and Wales from Stonegate Pub Company and some single sites, including the New Dungeon Ghyll pub hotel in the Lake District.