Breath baited as S&N pubs spirited away in 2.5bn [pounds sterling] deal.(News)(Brief Article)

SPIRIT Amber has become the UK's largest managed pub operator with 2,500 outlets, following its acquisition of Scottish & Newcastle for 2.5bn [pounds sterling] last month. The bitterly contested battle for S&N's pubs has changed the face of machine operation in the UK, making Spirit the second largest machine retailer-operator after Mitchells and Butler.

Spirit Chairman Tony Campbell said that with 2,500 pubs and 46,000 employees, the S&N deal has transformed the company into a firm big enough to eventually float as a FTSE 100 company. Spirit adds retail chains Chef & Brewer, Premier lodge, John Barras and T&J Bernard to its portfolio, which consists of Two For One, …