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Stonegate Weighs £1 Billion Sale of 1,000 Pubs to Cut Debt

The move is timed to a January expiry on an Apollo loan restriction that has blocked disposals.

Overview

  • Executives have opened talks with potential advisers about a disposal of roughly a quarter of the 4,300‑site estate, according to the reports.
  • One option under review is selling the assets in several blocks rather than as a single package.
  • The pubs in scope comprise the 1,034‑site “platinum” portfolio, carved out via a £638 million securitisation with Apollo.
  • The group is carrying more than £3 billion of borrowings stemming from its 2019 merger with Ei after an earlier sale attempt in 2023 failed.
  • Stonegate posted a £214 million loss in 2024 as rising interest and labour costs hit the sector, and Fitch downgraded its rating to CCC+ in August.