JW Lees Brewery

We have reopened The Bellflower pub in Garstang after acquiring the site from Marstons plc in September 2024 and an 8 week closure with a £1m refurbishment. The pub is part of the JW Lees Managed Pubs Division and will be run under direct management by JW Lees. The Bellflower was opened in 1930 as The XL Hotel by Blackpool brewers Catterall & Swarbrick. In the ‘60’s it changed its name to The Chequered Flag and then to The Bellflower. The dilapidated conservatory has been replaced with a new feature veranda to reference the original XL Hotel, whilst internally a new feature bar sits centrally in a fully refurbished trade space with comfortable areas dedicated to drinking, dining and shuffleboards. The refurbishment has been undertaken with the JWL project team partnered with @Myriad Contracts Group, EWH Consulting and Inventive Design Associates. The pub offers an impressive bar lined up with JW Lees cask ales; Manchester Pale Ale and JW Lees Bitter. Lagers including local favourites Manchester Craft Lager, Original and Boilerhouse limited edition beers make up the range. The surrounding space provides sophisticated and comfortable drinking and dining areas accommodating over 166 covers, with a new covered veranda at the front and an impressive beer garden to host an extra 150 covers. The new menus bring freshly prepared pub classics as well as dishes perfectly tuned to the season and the Sunday roasts come with bottomless Yorkshire puddings and gravy. General Manager, John Treacy has moved to The Bellflower from the Boot & Shoe in Lancaster where he had been for 3 years. The Bellflower has created 30 new full and part time roles in the team. John said: “I’m proud and honoured to be taking the helm of this beautiful building. We hope to return The Bellflower to its former glory and bring a new lease of life to this lovely pub. Rachel and the children and I are really looking forward to becoming part of this wonderful community and welcoming friends old and new.” William Lees-Jones, Managing Director JW Lees said: “We love The Bellflower already and it helps us to extend our reach into Lancashire and we think that it’s a pub that we can really add value to in terms of its offering.” https://lnkd.in/eZEmx6A6

🎉 We are really excited to announce the winners of Family Business UK Ones To Watch 🎉 Now in its 4th year our Ones to Watch award celebrates the brightest talent in family businesses across the country. This year, our winners come from hospitality, farming, technology and the parking industry - each living and breathing the values of family businesses as the lifeblood of local communities and local economies. Our 2024 Ones to Watch are: 🏆 Caroline Platt - MD of Platts Agriculture Limited 🏆 Anton Roe - Non-Family CEO of MHR 🏆 Louis Lees-Jones - Openings Manager at JW Lees Brewery 🏆 Sarah Naghshineh - Director of RCP Parking Ltd You can read more about each of our winners ➡️ https://bit.ly/3ZkbJyg The Ones to Watch awards forms part of a week-long celebration of family-owned businesses in Family Business Week. We're proud to partner again with NatWest Business to shine a spotlight on Britain's amazing family businesses. #FamilyBusinessWeek #FamilyBizWeek

After months of scoping, designing and content planning with our web agency Propeller , we’re pleased to launch our new central JW Lees website, showcasing the best of the Brewery, our beers, Managed Pubs, Inns and Hotels, Pub Partners and now with a central table and room booking system. It’s a bit beautiful if you ask us… Chris Moore Sonia Ghag Hannah Mills Ellie Alderslade Charlotte Messias Sharma Cook Squad Richard Bruton www.jwlees.co.uk

JW Lees are proud to present the newly refurbished Boathouse Chester. JW Lees originally acquired the site in 2009 with the new room block opening in 2016. The main bar, dining spaces and outdoor terrace are now open after a £715k spend, which includes not just the pub refurbishment but a full recondition of the unique ‘floating beer garden’, dredging the river adjacent and installing natural rock protection to the riverbank (all done whilst looking after the Salmon and Eel population!) The new fully adapted interior pays homage to the local community reflecting the rowing heritage, with feature rowing boats supplied by a local club. The new investment follows a full refurbishment of the 21 letting rooms in 2023 bringing the whole site up to a premium standard as the best riverside venue to eat, drink and stay in Chester. Book in for a drink, dinner, a cosy lunch or a leisurely stay and expect a warm welcome from Laura and the team. https://lnkd.in/eG5KaBj7

General Manager Vacancy – North Wales - Llandudno, North Wales - January 2025 start date - Up to £50,000 basic plus bonus and 2 bedroom live-in - Upcoming £1.2m refurbishment Following our recent acquisition of the Craigside Inn, in Llandudno, we are now looking for a high-performing General Manager to join JW Lees and take the lead in building, inspiring, and developing the team. We will be closing the doors in January to start our £1.2m refurbishment which will turn the Craigside into a stunning inn with rooms, boasting beautiful views, 20 comfy bedrooms, delicious food and drink and exceptional service. As our next General Manager, you will have a proven track record of successfully managing a premium F&B operation, ideally with bedrooms. What we offer our General Managers: - Up to £50,000 per basic salary - 2 bedroom, fully refurbished accommodation - Great, realistic bonus potential - Up to 33 days annual leave - Healthcare and Cash Plan - Great opportunities to grow in your role and progress your career For more information on the role, contact or recruitment@jwlees.co.uk or apply here: https://lnkd.in/exGicCxv

Last week, our very own Plough & Flail in Mobberley won GREATest Food & Beverage Establishment in Europe at the GuestRevu GREAT Awards 2024. A huge congratulations to Dan and Laura, very well deserved. If you've not visited the Plough & Flail yet, it's the perfect pub for a cosy pint and pub food in Cheshire, and now Europe! Find out more about the Plough & Flail here https://lnkd.in/et6f8wyB

Well done to our brewery teams who all chipped in and got involved with charity pumpkin painting today, raising £65 for our nominated charity, The Christie Charity 💙 There were some seriously spooky entries, and Kirsty Story was crowned our first-ever Pumpkin Painter of the Year. Happy Halloween, everyone. 🎃 https://lnkd.in/d6Fdnru

We recently held our Pub Partner Trade Show at Oldham Event Centre at the historic Boundary Park Stadium. Our Pub Partners had the opportunity to connect, share ideas, sample JW Lees beers and meet reps from food, beverage and service providers. We also held workshops to support marketing and social media best practices. It was a great opportunity to share ideas and give our pub partners the knowledge to reach new customers online. This networking event is just one of the many ways we provide support to our Pub Partners. We would like to thank everyone involved in making the Trade Show a success. https://lnkd.in/eUcjbZXn

We now have a rare and exciting opportunity for a Brewer to join our Production Team at our Greengate Brewery in Middleton. You will operate across all production areas, including our 10-barrel experimental Boilerhouse brewery. You will also assist the leadership team with day-to-day operational management, ensuring that the brewery works as efficiently and effectively as possible. Apply here: https://lnkd.in/eM_jCK75 #brewingopportunity #brewer #brewing

JW Lees has agreed to acquire The Bellflower pub restaurant in Garstang Lancashire from Marston’s plc. William Lees-Jones, Managing Director of JW Lees, said ‘We are delighted to be acquiring The Bellflower from Marston’s and it will take our Managed Pub estate to 49 sites under company management. We have grown our business in Lancashire in recent years with the Boot & Shoe in Lancaster which we bought of Daniel Thwaites plc and the Halfway House in Clayton-le-Woods which we also bought off Marston’s and we are seeing our footprint grow in the North West so that we now operate pubs from Crewe to Lancaster and from Holyhead to Holmfirth. We will be closing the Bellflower on completion for a complete refurbishment before we re-open the site in good time for Christmas trading.’ About JW Lees JW Lees is a seventh-generation family brewery company, founded in 1828 by retired cotton manufacturer John Lees. JW Lees is based in Middleton Junction in North Manchester and the business comprises JW Lees Brewery, JW Lees Pubs, The Alderley Edge Hotel, The Stanneyland’s Hotel, The Trearddur Bay Hotel and Willoughby’s Wine Merchants. JW Lees employs over 1,600 people, 150 at the brewery and site in Middleton Junction and over 1,375 in their 49 managed pubs, inns and hotels. JW Lees also lets another 87 pubs to JW Lees Pub Partners.