Mason Moore | Hinckley Reporter | 21 June 2022

A LEICESTERSHIRE-BASED pub chain have acquired a former Wetherspoons pub in Paignton, Devon.

The Crafty Pub Group, who own Hinckley’s former Wetherspoons pub, ‘The Crafty Baron of Hinckley’, have snapped up yet another former ‘Spoons – Paignton’s former Isaac Merritt, which is to be known as ‘the Crafty Isaac Merritt’.

That is according to a Crafty Pub Group spokesperson in an exclusive statement first revealed to the Hinckley Free Press.

The news was of an acquisiton was initally broken last Thursday (16 June) with an official statement on their Facebook page.

It read: “Really excited to announce our next site acquistion on an 8,000 sq ft public house in a town centre of Devon. Can’t wait to create more opportunities!”

The post further revealed that the boozer was exchanged in just 24 hours.

This forms the chain’s newest and latest acquisition, following a recent nearby acquisition in Nuneaton town centre.

But, this is not unfamiliar territory for the chain, as the Crafty Pub Group’s ‘Chairman of the Board’, Nirad Solanki, already has business dealings over in Devon.

Under his new subsidiary and hotel brand of Solanki Hotels, Mr. Solanki opened his first hotel in Paignton, Devon, named ‘Beach Hotel Torbay’, which promises guests a “fantastic bed and breakfast accomodation in the epicentre of the English Riviera”.

And, as we reported a week ago, more locally, the chain recently purchased Nuneaton’s former George Eliot pub and hotel, which is to be rebranded as ‘The Crafty George Eliot’ – the announcement has sparked excitement with town-goers.

The chain came forward and revealed that they had taken on the landmark boozer just one day after its closure.

They already have existing and established pubs in Stoney Stanton, Leicester, Hinckley, Stoke-on-Trent, and Melton Mowbray.