Mitchells and Butlers

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An original Mitchells and Butlers Brewery pub, The Queens Arms, in central Birmingham

Toby Carvery in Binley, Coventry

Mitchells & Butlers plc runs managed pubs, bars and restaurants in over 2,000 outlets. It is headquartered in Birmingham and is listed on the London Stock Exchange (LSE: MAB) and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

The Mitchells and Butlers Brewery dates back to a merger in 1898 and was based in the Cape Hill area of Birmingham. The company then merged with Bass in 1961. With the brand currently under ownership of Coors Brewers, the brewery closed in 2002 with production switched to Burton upon Trent.

Their most famous beer was Brew XI (pronounced Brew Eleven), advertised with the slogan "for the men of the Midlands".

Bass plc formed into separate brewing and retail divisions following the Beer Orders of 1989 and then proceeded to build a large hotel portfolio alongside its pub, bingo, betting and electronic leisure interests. In the late 1990s these were sold. In 2000 it also divested its brewing arm and rebranded itself Six Continents Retail before another split in 2002 into two separate companies, with the hotel assets forming InterContinental Hotels Group and the Mitchells and Butlers name brought back for the pubs and restaurants company.

Mitchells and Butlers now owns several brands of pubs, including Harvester, Scream, Toby Carvery, Ember Inns, All Bar One, Browns, Flares, Reflex O'Neill's and Goose. The company also owns Hollywood Bowl, which runs 25 ten pin bowling alleys around the UK. In July 2006 it purchased 239 pub restaurants from Whitbread for £497 million to strengthen its food business ahead of the introduction of a smoking ban in enclosed public spaces in England in 2007.