QUICK VERDICT
| Opportunity Type | Marston’s Partnership (Community Wet) |
| Pubco | Marston’s |
| Weekly Sales Estimate | £10,000/week (Marston’s published estimate) |
| Security Deposit | £5,000 |
| Working Capital Needed | £22,000–£28,000 minimum |
| Trade Character | Wet-led community pub with midnight every-day licence, Leicester commuter village |
| Best Suited To | Experienced community pub operator comfortable with late-night management; Anstey’s growing population creates meaningful upside |
| Shaun’s Rating | [ ] |
| Red Flag | The Coach & Horses trades 11am to midnight Monday to Saturday, noon to 11pm Sunday. A midnight licence Monday to Saturday is significant management responsibility. Anstey is a 9,000-person village 4 miles from Leicester city centre — understand who is drinking late on a Wednesday before you inherit this licence. |
THE LOCAL PICTURE
Anstey (LE7) is a Leicestershire village of approximately 9,000 people
on the northern edge of Leicester, 4 miles from the city centre on the
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B5327. It’s a substantial commuter village that has grown considerably
in recent decades as Leicester’s northern suburb expansion has absorbed
it into the wider city fringe.
Key employers: the Leicester city economy (retail, manufacturing, NHS,
professional services, financial services), the University of Leicester
and De Montfort University both within commuting distance, Jewson and
various construction and materials businesses nearby. No Wetherspoons in
Anstey; nearest is Leicester city centre at 4 miles — accessible but
not immediate.
The Coach & Horses on The Nook (LE7 7AT) — the village centre
location. ‘The Nook’ is a charming Anstey village centre address,
suggesting a pub in the heart of the community. Google 4.3 stars. At
£10,000/week from a 9,000-person village with a midnight Mon-Sat
licence, this is a well-established operation generating solid revenue.
WHAT THE PUB IS
The Coach & Horses trades 11am to midnight Monday to Saturday, noon to
11pm Sunday. The midnight every-weekday licence is unusual for a
9,000-person village pub — this tells you the pub has a history of
trading late, and that the customer base has expectations around those
hours. Google 4.3 stars at £10,000/week is a solid performance.
At £10,000/week from a village of 9,000, this is well above the average
for a community local of this catchment size. There’s likely a food
offer contributing alongside the wet trade, and the extended hours
suggest the pub is functioning as an evening entertainment venue as well
as a community local.
THE MARSTON’S PARTNERSHIP DEAL
Community Wet classification given the drink-led character suggested by
the hours. The Marston’s management charge on net sales. Leicestershire
CAMRA is active; Anstey’s proximity to Leicester means your real ale
quality will be compared with the city’s competitive independent bar
scene. The Marston’s core range needs supplementing with a quality
rotating guest cask to compete effectively.
The midnight Mon-Sat licence requires: clear door policy, challenge 25
compliance, incident recording, CCTV operational and monitored. Hinckley
and Bosworth Borough Council licensing is the relevant authority —
understand your premises licence conditions from day one and train your
team on them.
At Teal Farm, establishing the cellar management and licensing
compliance protocols in the first week became the foundation of
everything that followed — the NSF audit covers both, and operators
who treat compliance as admin rather than operations get caught out.
FINANCIAL REALITY
| Metric | Figure |
| Weekly Sales Estimate | £10,000 (Source: Marston’s published estimate) |
| Annualised Revenue | \~£520,000 |
| Security Deposit | £5,000 |
| Working Capital Required | £22,000–£28,000 (liquid, not borrowed) |
| Ingoing Costs (est.) | £5,000–£15,000 total inc. deposit |
| Marston’s Management Charge | Percentage of net sales (confirm exact % pre-signing) |
| Staff Costs | Target 28–33% — late-night every night requires staffing budget consideration |
| Break-Even Target | 18–24 months |
| Late Licence Risk | Midnight Mon–Sat: understand the actual late trade pattern before inheriting — and the utility and staffing cost of trading late on quiet nights |
PUBS CODE RIGHTS — KNOW BEFORE YOU SIGN
PUBS CODE RIGHTS — KNOW BEFORE YOU SIGN
| – | Independent rent assessment (Pubs Code right — exercise it) |
| – | Request P&L projections from Marston’s before signing |
| – | Obtain Schedule of Condition — protect yourself on dilapidations |
| – | Get the tied product price list before you agree terms |
| – | Complete Marston’s pre-entry training programme (mandatory) |
| – | You can request a free Market Rent Only option assessment |
| – | Right to independent advice on terms from a qualified RICS surveyor |
WHO THIS SUITS
An experienced community pub operator who has managed extended licence
hours before and is confident in their late-night management protocols.
Someone who understands the Leicester commuter village demographic and
can build loyalty with both the village community and the late-evening
trade.
The £10k/week revenue from a village of 9,000 with extended hours
creates real commercial potential for an operator who manages it well.
Local Leicester market knowledge is an advantage. Minimum £22,000 liquid
capital.
WHAT WORKS / WHAT DOESN’T
WHAT WORKS
| – | Community local identity during the day and early evening — build |
your regular base on the daytime and early evening sessions, which
sustain the operation year-round
| – | Real ale quality with a Leicester-area guest rotation — the Anstey |
commuter demographic includes CAMRA members and quality-conscious
drinkers
| – | Managing the late-night hours professionally — the licence is an |
asset if it’s well-managed, a liability if it isn’t
| – | Anstey’s growing population means the catchment is expanding — |
being the established quality local for new residents as they arrive
is a long-term commercial investment
WHAT DOESN’T WORK
| – | Allowing late-night trading to dominate your operational identity at |
the expense of the community regular base
| – | Trading midnight every night speculatively if the actual late trade |
doesn’t justify the utility and staffing cost — understand the
real late trading pattern
| – | Poor licensing compliance — a midnight licence in a village 4 |
miles from Leicester city centre will be monitored
WHAT YOU NEED ON DAY ONE
ICRTouch or Marston’s recommended EPOS with shift reporting, stock
module and late-night cash management configured before opening. Set
staff access levels to maintain till integrity across all sessions.
First stock count in week two. At £10k/week with extended hours, daily
revenue and labour tracking is your primary management tool.
GET YOUR NUMBERS RIGHT BEFORE YOU SIGN
Before you sign anything, know your numbers.
Pub Command Centre gives you real-time labour %, VAT and cash position
from day one. £97 once.