The Old Nelson in Stroud is due to close on Monday, September 7, as Whitbread shuts down its remaining Brewers Fayre sites. The planned closure is linked to a wider change in the company’s business rather than a decision affecting only the Stroud venue.
Whitbread is bringing the Brewers Fayre brand to an end while shifting its focus towards its Premier Inn hotel business. The Old Nelson is one of the venues affected as the company closes its remaining sites operating under the restaurant and pub brand.
What happens to the Stroud venue
The closure is not expected to be the final chapter for the popular venue. The Old Nelson is understood to have been acquired by Queensway Inns, which has purchased 53 former Brewers Fayre locations from Whitbread.
That purchase means the Stroud pub is expected to reopen under new ownership after its period as a Brewers Fayre site ends. However, the source says that further details about the venue’s future have not yet been confirmed.
There is currently no confirmed information about when the Old Nelson might reopen, what name or branding it will use, or whether its food, service and day-to-day operation will change. The source also does not set out any confirmed arrangements for staff, customers or the site during the change of ownership.
Closure follows national Brewers Fayre change
For customers in Stroud, the immediate effect is a scheduled closure on September 7. The date falls within Whitbread’s wider decision to end the Brewers Fayre brand as it concentrates more heavily on Premier Inn.
Queensway Inns’ acquisition of dozens of former Brewers Fayre locations provides an expected route for the Old Nelson to return, but its reopening remains unconfirmed. The purchase covers 53 former sites, while the information available does not identify which changes Queensway Inns plans to make at the Stroud pub.
Residents and former customers will therefore have to wait for the new owner to provide more information about the next stage. Until those details are announced, the Old Nelson’s closure date is clear, but its reopening date and future format remain uncertain.