McMullens sell 30 pubs to Punch

Hertford brewer McMullens has offloaded 30 of its public houses to operator Punch Pubs & Co.

The pubs, located predominantly across Hertfordshire and Essex, boast strong trading histories, distinctive heritage and established positions at the heart of their local communities.

An announcement published on Punch's website says the agreement represents "a small but strategically important" addition to the Punch Pubs estate, bolstering its presence across Hertfordshire and Essex.

27 of the pubs are tenanted with the remaining three being managed. All but two are freehold.

Five of Hertford's pubs are included in the deal - the Millstream, Great Eastern Tavern, Lord Haig, Dog & Whistle and The Greyhound.

Terms of the McMullen’s deal were not disclosed.

James Croft, group strategy and commercial director at Punch Pubs & Co, said: "We're delighted to have completed the acquisition of these pubs from McMullen's. This is a fantastic collection of pubs with real heritage, strong community roots and proven operators running them day to day, and we look forward to welcoming them into the Punch family.

"Our focus remains on long-term partnerships, investing in our pubs and supporting our Publicans and Management Partners to help their businesses succeed as we work towards being the 5-star pub company."

Tom McMullen, joint managing director of McMullen’s, added: "There are some phenomenal independent operators in these businesses, and it was important to us that they transferred to an owner who possesses both the scale and strategic direction necessary to offer improved support, and is willing and able to provide the financial commitment that these pubs deserve. We are also grateful to our tenanted operations team who have continued to grow this part of the business and are supporting through the transition."

This disposal will assist McMullen's to continue to develop and grow its 86-strong Managed House and Hotels division and was undertaken after an extensive strategic review.

Punch operates 1,300 outlets across England, Scotland and Wales together with publicans and management partners.

McMullen’s was founded in 1827 and has a portfolio of over 100 pubs across Hertfordshire and beyond.

Updated 9:22 Friday 6/2/26 with full list of Hertford pubs