Aprirose acquires 73 M&B pubs and forms new pub company: Real estate investment company Aprirose has exchanged to acquire a 73-asset portfolio from Mitchells & Butlers. The portfolio will operate under new pub company banner Milton Pubs and Taverns and includes 65 freehold and eight leasehold properties in England, Scotland and Wales. The acquisition of the pub portfolio will be Aprirose’s first management contract undertaken in this sector. Aprirose has appointed pub operator LT Management Services (LTM) to manage the assets. LTM currently has more than 1,000 pubs, clubs and other assets under management. The acquisition of the 73 pubs will make Aprirose the 11th-largest managed pub group in the UK. Tenants within Aprirose’s current pub portfolio include Greene King, Marston’s and Punch Taverns. Aprirose chief executive Manish Gudka said: “The acquisition of the Milton Pubs and Taverns portfolio from M&B represents an opportunity for us to take a more hands-on approach to asset management. We look forward to working with LTM, which is a leading operator in this space. The acquisition is a strong investment for our investors, with locations stretching throughout the UK. Following the disposal of 23 pubs to various institutions at the beginning of this year, we are pleased to confirm our commitment to such an interesting sector. As pub companies seek to rationalise their portfolios in the evolving F&B sector, it presents an opportunity for us to create a more bespoke offering and to drive returns for our investors. We continue to find the best assets to add to our diverse £1.2bn real estate portfolio and to explore the right opportunities for our investors in today’s post-referendum market.” Mitchells & Butlers chief executive Phil Urban added: “One of our business priorities is to rebalance our estate to deliver greater shareholder value. Disposing of these sites means we are positioned to extract this value and will continue to move forward focusing on our key strategic priorities across our core business. We continue to focus on obtaining the best returns from each of our assets and position our brands to continue to generate greater shareholder value.” Mitchells & Butlers were advised by Savills and Eversheds Sutherland.