Cheers! Marston's to open 60 new pubs in the next two years

The latest to open its doors as part of the Wolverhampton-based brewer's pub-building programme is the Saxon Penny, in Lichfield. Named after the Saxon hoard found in Staffordshire in 2009, the pub has created 50 jobs and can serve up to 180 diners at a time.

It is one of the new breed of pub restaurants being built by Marston's as it caters for the continuing demand from families who want to eat out without breaking the bank.

While the Campaign for Real Ale has warned that 26 pubs a week are closing in the UK, Marston's has been bucking the trend as it builds its national estate to around 2,400 sites.

Marston's has been building around 22 to 25 pubs a year since launching its 'F-Plan', focusing on 'food, families, females and 40-50 somethings'. Each pub costs around £2.5m. But it has now accelerated the plan, aiming to open up to 30 new pubs a year and it has identified enough sites to keep it busy for the next four years.