Breaking News
OakNorth Bank provides loan to Red Oak Taverns, the nationwide pub operator, to acquire 18 pubs in the South West of England
OakNorth Bank – the UK bank powered by OakNorth – has provided acquisition funding to Red Oak Taverns, the leading tenanted pub provider. Red Oak Taverns tapped into the £10m Acquisition Facility arranged with OakNorth last year (£42m) as part of a wider refinance of the Red Oak Taverns business.
The finance from OakNorth will be used to acquire 18 pubs from Wadworth Brewery, the Wiltshire-based brewery
Since its launch in 2011, Red Oak Taverns has established a track record for breathing life back into pubs that have been run-down or fallen into disrepair. Led by co-founders Aaron Brown and Mark Grunnell, the company now has 179 sites across all areas of the UK, including 61 in the South West, 44 in the North West, 26 in the Midlands, 23 in South East, 18 in the North East, five in Wales and two in Scotland.
Mark Grunnell and Aaron Brown, co-founders Red Oak Taverns, commented: “We are delighted to have secured this quality portfolio of pubs from Wadworth. We believe the pubs and the licensees will benefit from Red Oak’s flexible approach to operated leased and tenanted pubs and from the £1m investment we have planned for the acquired portfolio. Having completed a successful refinance of our business with OakNorth last year, we knew they’d be the right partner to take this transaction forward and we’re grateful to Mo and the team for their ongoing support.”
Mohith Sondhi, Senior Debt Finance Director at OakNorth said: “The pub sector is competitive and fragmented, so businesses in this industry require an experienced team who can deliver alternative strategies for weaker units and maximise the potential of better ones. Mark and Aaron have proven they can do this – they have built a strong platform and have a clear strategy to sustainably grow the business in coming years. We’re delighted that after their first experience with us last year, they’ve come back to complete another transaction, and we look forward to continuing to support them in the future.”
- Cheaper, Faster… Riskier: Over Half Of Brits Plan To Use ChatGPT For Completing Their Tax Returns Read more
- WorkFusion Raises $45 Million in Funding to Fuel Growth for Agentic AI for Financial Crime Compliance Read more
- AI-Powered E-commerce, Stablecoins and Local APMs: Emerging Trends Headline EBANX’s Payments Summit in Mexico Read more
- Second Day of Money20/20 Middle East Unveils Next-Gen Solutions at the Region’s Largest Ever Fintech Gathering Read more
- United Gulf Financial Services Joins The Hashgraph Association and Exponential Science Foundation Adding $1M to Hedera Africa Hackathon Pool Prize Read more
Cheaper, Faster… Riskier: Over Half Of Brits Plan To Use ChatGPT For Completing Their Tax Returns
More than half (59%) of Brits admit that they’ll use AI to help with their tax return
WorkFusion Raises $45 Million in Funding to Fuel Growth for Agentic AI for Financial Crime Compliance
WorkFusion, a pioneer in AI agents for financial crime compliance (FCC), today announced it raised $45 million in funding.
AI-Powered E-commerce, Stablecoins and Local APMs: Emerging Trends Headline EBANX’s Payments Summit in Mexico
How could AI agents search, compare and pay for things? What makes stablecoins a game-changer for cross-border digital commerce? Why are local Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) crucial for any business wanting to enter and scale in emerging markets?
Second Day of Money20/20 Middle East Unveils Next-Gen Solutions at the Region’s Largest Ever Fintech Gathering
Day two of Money20/20 Middle East in Riyadh brought together global leaders in fintech, banking, and financial services to discuss the future of money and finance in the region.
United Gulf Financial Services Joins The Hashgraph Association and Exponential Science Foundation Adding $1M to Hedera Africa Hackathon Pool Prize
United Gulf Financial Services (UGFS North Africa), a leading venture capital firm offering innovative companies and startups with financial support and mentoring services, has announced a partnership with The Hashgraph Association, a Swiss non-profit organization driving global adoption of Hedera-powered solutions by funding innovation, training, certification, and venture building programs, and Exponential Science Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation accelerating responsible tech adoption, via research, education, and innovation activities, for Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025, the biggest hackathon in Africa aimed at enabling the next generation of Web developers and empower economic inclusion in Africa with a digital future for all.
Payhawk Transforms Spending Experience for Businesses With Four Enterprise-Ready AI Agents
Payhawk announced set of AI agents that complete everyday finance work as part of its product launch
Alipay+ to Launch in Saudi Arabia, Facilitating Cross-Border Mobile Payments for Local Merchants
Ant International will launch cross-border QR code payments between the Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) national payment scheme, mada, Alipay+, during 2026 to drive digitisation and inclusive growth for local merchants.
Cheaper, Faster… Riskier: Over Half Of Brits Plan To Use ChatGPT For Completing Their Tax Returns
More than half (59%) of Brits admit that they’ll use AI to help with their tax return
WorkFusion Raises $45 Million in Funding to Fuel Growth for Agentic AI for Financial Crime Compliance
WorkFusion, a pioneer in AI agents for financial crime compliance (FCC), today announced it raised $45 million in funding.
AI-Powered E-commerce, Stablecoins and Local APMs: Emerging Trends Headline EBANX’s Payments Summit in Mexico
How could AI agents search, compare and pay for things? What makes stablecoins a game-changer for cross-border digital commerce? Why are local Alternative Payment Methods (APMs) crucial for any business wanting to enter and scale in emerging markets?
Second Day of Money20/20 Middle East Unveils Next-Gen Solutions at the Region’s Largest Ever Fintech Gathering
Day two of Money20/20 Middle East in Riyadh brought together global leaders in fintech, banking, and financial services to discuss the future of money and finance in the region.
United Gulf Financial Services Joins The Hashgraph Association and Exponential Science Foundation Adding $1M to Hedera Africa Hackathon Pool Prize
United Gulf Financial Services (UGFS North Africa), a leading venture capital firm offering innovative companies and startups with financial support and mentoring services, has announced a partnership with The Hashgraph Association, a Swiss non-profit organization driving global adoption of Hedera-powered solutions by funding innovation, training, certification, and venture building programs, and Exponential Science Foundation, a not-for-profit foundation accelerating responsible tech adoption, via research, education, and innovation activities, for Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025, the biggest hackathon in Africa aimed at enabling the next generation of Web developers and empower economic inclusion in Africa with a digital future for all.
Payhawk Transforms Spending Experience for Businesses With Four Enterprise-Ready AI Agents
Payhawk announced set of AI agents that complete everyday finance work as part of its product launch
Alipay+ to Launch in Saudi Arabia, Facilitating Cross-Border Mobile Payments for Local Merchants
Ant International will launch cross-border QR code payments between the Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) national payment scheme, mada, Alipay+, during 2026 to drive digitisation and inclusive growth for local merchants.