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Stonegate Weighs £1bn Disposal or Refinancing of 1,034 ‘Platinum’ Pubs

The securitised portfolio’s non‑call period ends in January 2026, reopening a path to sell assets or restructure debt.

Overview

  • Stonegate said it is evaluating refinancing, a partial sale or a full sale of the Platinum portfolio and that no decisions have been made.
  • The pubs are securitised against a £638m Apollo loan, and the end of the non‑call period would allow sales or refinancing to proceed.
  • The package, valued by industry sources at up to £1bn, comprises 1,034 freehold leased and tenanted sites across England and Wales generating about £90m of EBITDA.
  • The group carries more than £3bn of debt, booked £455m of finance costs and a £214m loss in 2024, and was downgraded by Fitch to CCC+ excluding the securitised assets.
  • After an unsuccessful attempt to sell a similar number of pubs in 2023, executives are considering selling in tranches, while a transformation plan under CEO David McDowall shifts sites to tenanted models that add roughly £110,000 profit per pub.