Shaker Group takes on third site

The Shaker Group, established in 2001 by husband-and-wife team Adam and Theresa Freeth, has taken on a third site, its first Star Pubs & Bars lease. 

The White Hart in Redditch, which has been closed since the start of the year, will reopen in early September as a premium local, following a £400,000-plus joint refurbishment with Star Pubs & Bars.

It is the first of five sites The Shaker Group intends to establish in the next three years, together with members of its team who are ready and keen to run their own pubs.

The group already owns Gas Street Social in The Mailbox in Birmingham and The Orangery, a restaurant and hotel in Redditch. It also runs the Shaker Consultancy and Shaker Bar School, a training and bar consultancy firm working across projects in the UK, Europe, Africa.  

“We are building our business model around our people," says Adam Freeth. "Our people are recruited because of their potential and ambition not just experience. We will grow our estate as and when members of our team are ready to take on sites. We’ve trained tens of thousands of people over the years and most share a desire to be their own boss. However, many remain ‘intrapreneurial’ working within businesses and receive just a wage. They don’t get the upside from the risk of putting their own money into a business. With our background of running our own restaurants, pubs and hotels, together with our consultancy expertise, we can help ambitious team members to progress to the next level." 

The investment will see the former White Hart Inn rebranded to The Hart at Headless Cross. 

“The changes to The White Hart are going to be massive and will result in a fantastic pub for the local community," says Phil Mardon, Star Pubs & Bars’ area manager. "It’s great to have The Shaker Group on board and I look forward to building a long-term relationship, helping them grow their pub business.”

You may also be interested in…