Pub chain collapses into administration with six sites to close immediately

A total of 19 sites will either be sold or closed for good.

Oakman Inns & Restaurants has been hit by pandemic hangover, elevated interest rates, and costs for its troubles, causing the closures.

Six sites have closed, with a further 13 transferring ownership to Upham Inns, who operate a small collection of premium pubs with rooms.

The sites below have ceased trading:

• Beech House, Watford, Hertfordshire
• Grand Junction Arms, Tring, Hertfordshire
• King's Head, Chipping Ongar, Essex
• Navigation Inn, Lapworth, Warwickshire
• Journeyman, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire
• The George Inn, Ludlow, Shropshire

The following sites have been taken over by Upham Inns

• The Three Locks, Stoke Hammond, Buckinghamshire
• The Beech House, Amersham, Buckinghamshire
• The Beech House, Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire
• The Beech House, Solihull, West Midlands
• The Beech House, St Albans, Hertfordshire
• The Betsey Wynne, Swanbourne, Buckinghamshire
• The Four Alls, Welford on Avon, Warwickshire
• The Kings Arms, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
• The Lost Boy, Farnham, Hampshire
• The Navigation Inn, Cosgrove, Northamptonshire
• The Old Post Office, Wallingford, Oxfordshire
• The Penny Farthing, Berkhamsted, Hertfordshire
• The Red Lion, Water End, Hertfordshire
• The Woburn, Woburn, Bedfordshire

The closures will result in 159 job losses, while 531 employees will be transferred as ownership changes.

Ross Connock, joint administrator at PwC, said increased energy prices, higher food and beverage costs, and wage inflation also played a factor.

"The hospitality sector continues to face significant and persistent challenges, including a reduction in customer numbers, which has been driven by changing consumer habits and broader economic pressure," he said.

The news comes just as BrewDog announced the closure of 10 sites, including their flagship site in Aberdeen.