Brothers forced to abandon plans to open 'dream' pub in heart of Northampton town centre

Three brothers have been forced to abandon their plans to open their 'dream' pub in the heart of Northampton town centre.

Josh, Jack, and Ellis Fitzgerald, from Long Buckby, had intentions to convert the former Sharps shop located on the corner of Market Square and Abington Street into a pub they named the Brothers Pub Company.

These plans had been in development as far back as 2019, but after four years filled with 'ups and downs,' the brothers have decided to put their dream on hold, at least for the time being.

Posting on Instagram, the brothers said: “That's all folks. Unfortunately, we've been unable to find an investor for our concept. The project has taken close to four years of our lives and has been filled with tremendous ups and downs. And for now, we're going to have to say goodbye.

"I'm not going to lie, it's probably been the worst four years to open up a pub. But we were up for the challenge. We felt that we could do it.

“We wanted to create somewhere special. We've met hundreds of people who have supported us on our journey, we’ve been in the local and national press, met with several experts within the sector and push to close a deal on what we still think is a concept worth creating.”

The brothers continued: “COVID, war, energy cost hikes, labour shortage and food costs have spiralled out of control and have now put new investments into a ‘super risky’ category.

“Excluding these external factors, there have been some internal issues as well: lead investor let downs, 12 month-plus planning applications, sibling arguments, multiple re hypes to get your attention and spiralling opening costs.

“The general feedback we've received is that it's a great concept full of enthusiasm perfect for struggling town centres around the country but most investors all have one thing in common, they wanted to see it generating cash. The classic chicken in the egg scenario. Could we have launched a crowdfunding campaign? Potentially. But without having a lead investor even if we managed to successfully raise £100,000 it wouldn't have been enough.

“Sure, we potentially bit off more than we could chew. But we have been dreaming big since the beginning. And we did get incredibly close. The silver lining is we've learned so much.

“Avoiding costs we didn't need to incur, understanding the process of trying to launch a close to £500,000 site and having the networking credibility now to come back stronger.”

“For the individuals that have supported us throughout this journey, we can't thank you enough.

“Now, what's the plan? This site is going to go up for rent and the sooner we can find a new tenant, the better. There's a small chance we can get a certain amount of our deposit back to do something with. We need your help one last time to help us find a new tournament for this incredible site.

“We're going to have a year or so to get our ducks in order. See what doors open, get some more capital binders and most likely try again but for now. Thanks for your support you absolute legends.”