Cheshire pub reopens with Covid-safe measures after Stockport brewery’s £1 million investment

Stockport’s Robinsons Brewery has announced the reopening of the a Macclesfield pub, following a £1 million investment as part of the family-run group’s ongoing commitment to investing in its estate.

While the Flower Pot pub on Congleton Road in Macclesfield was due to reopen at the end of March, this was delayed by the coronavirus pandemic.

The pub has a history of opening during unusual times however. It was built by Robinsons in the 1930s as a roadside inn, and originally opened in September 1939, shortly after the outbreak of World War Two, and during the ‘blackout’. Originally built in the arts and crafts style of the era, the Stockport brewery has recently made a £1 million investment in its renovation, part of the company’s ongoing commitment to invest in both its managed and tenanted estate of 250-plus pubs.

During the closure, the team have put measures in place to ensure a safe visit for all guests. In order to ensure compliance with government Covid-safe guidelines, the pub has deployed a Track and Trace system utilising the pub’s Wi-Fi, as well as a one-way system, single use menus, table service and plenty of sanitiser stations. As part of the renovation, the Flower Pot is now offering a new menu of pub classics, and lighter lunchtime options.

General Manager, Glenn Farrell (pictured front left, with wife Sam (R) and the Flower Pot team) said:

The transformation of the pub is amazing, and it gives the Flower Pot a new lease of life. We’re proud that we’ve managed to maintain a great balance of the old with the new. The community has always been at the heart of everything we do so reopening the doors after such a long time away was a wonderful feeling. If you haven’t stopped by yet, we can’t wait to welcome you back!”

The pub marks one of three significant investments into the Stockport brewery’s managed offering in 2020, together with the recent refurbishment of the Bulls Head in Hale Barns and the reopening of Y Bryncynan in Morfa Nefyn, North Wales.

John Robinson, Retail Operations Manager for Robinsons Brewery, commented:

We are delighted to have now reopened the Flower Pot. After several difficult months for our industry and the country as a whole, we can’t think of a better way to celebrate than providing a safe and secure space for friends and family to enjoy a catch up with great beer and great food.”