Varsity was a student-focused pub chain operating in the United Kingdom. The name originates from annual university sports competitions. It entered administration in 2013.
Coventry is the only remaining pub bearing the name Varsity which is now operated by Stonegate Pub Company.
History
The chain began in the mid-1990s. Its main competitor was
Scream Pubs
Scream (formerly known as It's A Scream) was a student-oriented pub chain in the United Kingdom owned by the Stonegate Pub Company. The chain began in October 1995.
History
The pub chain was set up by brewers Bass, who called it, It's a Scre ...
. Varsity was more sports-orientated than It's A Scream.
Varsity Wolverhampton – the first varsity bar in the chain – shut its doors in June 2012 after The University of Wolverhampton made a successful bid to the struggling Barracuda Group to purchase the building. It ceased trading in 2013.
Ownership
Wolverhampton and Dudley
Varsity was founded by
Wolverhampton & Dudley
Marston's plc is a British pub and hotel operator. Founded by John Marston in 1834, it is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Marston's disposed of its brewing operations in 2020, selling the assets to a newly formed joint venture with the Ca ...
.
Barracuda Group
The Barracuda Group was formed in July 2000 by PPM Ventures, a private equity company that became
Silverfleet Capital.
In September 2001 Barracuda Group bought fifty pubs from Wolverhampton & Dudley for £37.25 million, which included the 22 pubs of the Varsity chain.
In June 2005, the Barracuda Group was sold for £262 million to
Charterhouse Capital Partners. In August 2006 there were 36 Varsity bars.
In October 2012, Barracuda was renamed The Bramwell Pub Company.
The Stonegate Pub Company
In October 2013, The Bramwell Pub Company went into administration. The Stonegate Pub Company bought 78 of the company's pubs including the Varsities in Lincoln and Coventry.
Operation
It operated the ''V Card'', one of the first loyalty cards, which allowed a cheaper price for some drinks, and allows better offers on some of the food deals.
Previous Estate
North West England
* Longsight, Manchester, near the
Elizabeth Gaskell
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (''née'' Stevenson; 29 September 1810 – 12 November 1865), often referred to as Mrs Gaskell, was an English novelist, biographer and short story writer. Her novels offer a detailed portrait of the lives of many st ...
campus of
Manchester Metropolitan University
* Bolton, Churchgate
*Church Street, Preston
North East England
* Sunderland, near the
University of Sunderland, off the
A1231
Yorkshire and the Humber
*
Huddersfield
*
Hull
Hull may refer to:
Structures
* Chassis, of an armored fighting vehicle
* Fuselage, of an aircraft
* Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds
* Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a ship
* Submarine hull
Mathematics
* Affine hull, in affi ...
*
Leeds
*
Sheffield, on West Street, on the
Sheffield Supertram near the
University of Sheffield (science and engineering departments)
East Midlands
*
Leicester
Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest settlement in the East Midlands.
The city l ...
– two, on Friar Lane in the city centre, and London Road (
A6) towards the
University of Leicester
*
Lincoln
* Loughborough
West Midlands
*
Coventry, on Gibbet Hill Road, between the main
University of Warwick campus and
Westwood (Campus)
Westwood is one of three campuses of the University of Warwick (the other two being the main campus and Gibbet Hill).
Description
It is a triangular shaped campus bordered by the houses on Charter Avenue and by Gibbet Hill Road, located to th ...
*
Wolverhampton, at the
University of Wolverhampton
South West England
*
Gloucester
South East England
*
Southampton – on London Road. Closed in 2016.
* Southampton – on Portswood Broadway. Closed in 2013.
*
Southend-on-Sea
Wales
*
Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...
*
Bangor, near
Bangor University
, former_names = University College of North Wales (1884–1996) University of Wales, Bangor (1996–2007)
, image = File:Arms_of_Bangor_University.svg
, image_size = 250px
, caption = Arms
...
*
Cardiff, near
Cardiff University
, latin_name =
, image_name = Shield of the University of Cardiff.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms of Cardiff University
, motto = cy, Gwirionedd, Undod a Chytgord
, mottoeng = Truth, Unity and Concord
, established = 1 ...
Cardiff pubs
/ref>
* Roath (Cardiff), off the A469 next to the railway ( Rhymney Line)
* Swansea
References
External links
Stonegate Varsity
News items
Punch up outside Swansea pub in January 2011
{{authority control
Companies based in Buckinghamshire
Pub chains
Stonegate Pub Company
Universities in the United Kingdom
Wycombe District