THE former boss of pubs giant Greene King has bought the Coaching Inn Group.

Rooney Anand, who ran Greene King for 14 years, snapped up the business’s 18 historic coaching inns through his investment vehicle, RedCat Pub Company.

The Coaching Inn Group was founded in 1996 and has sites mainly in historic market towns, including the Cotswolds, Peak District and Cambridgeshire.

Current boss Kevin Charity and finance chief Edward Walsh will continue to lead and run the business within RedCat, and to build its presence, scale and momentum, the company said.

The amount paid was not disclosed.

Two of the inns are in Wales - the Castle Hotel in Conwy and the Royal Oak Hotel in Welshpool.

The Coaching Inn Group website describes the Conwy inn as: "The Castle Hotel is an old coaching inn in Wales, standing on the site of a Cistercian abbey within the UNESCO World Heritage walled town of Conwy.

"This popular Hotel in Wales offers individually designed accommodation. The hotel has 29 bedrooms to the AA and Visit Wales’ exacting 4 Star Town House standards with a ’boutique’ feel. A recent addition is the very popular ‘Healing Hands’ treatment room."

The Welshpool inn also has a rich history.

"The Royal Oak Hotel is a Grade II listed building which began its life in the 18th century, however parts of it are much older," says the site.

"There is a chimney stack in the hotel which features stone from an abbey that once stood in Pool Quay in Elizabethan times.

"Originally The hotel lay in the grounds of nearby Powis Castle. During its existence for centuries this grandiose Georgian building has welcomed many travellers through its doors. During our time as a coaching inn on the main route to the welsh coast of Wales, the Hotel saw its current function suite used as a stables with its own Ostler (someone who looks after horses). Notably, in 2010, The Royal Oak Hotel pleasure of welcoming one of the most prestigious guests from anywhere in the world, Her Majesty the Queen, when she visited Welshpool to open its new indoor cattle market and to have lunch at The Royal Oak Hotel."

RedCat was launched in February 2021 following the raising of £200 million from investors through its partner, Oaktree Capital Management.

It recently bought 42 pubs across England and Wales from Stonegate Pub Company and remains on the hunt to acquire more sites.

Bosses are looking to buy retail and tenanted pubs, as well as pub hotels across the UK to support their growth after the pandemic.

Mr Anand, executive chairman of RedCat, said: “I’m delighted that the Coaching Inn Group is becoming part of RedCat. It’s a business I’ve long admired and Kevin Charity is a class act. I look forward to building our pub hotels business and building our business together.”

Mr Charity said: “I’m confident that, with RedCat’s support, we can continue our momentum and grow our footprint of historic pub hotels.”