Large Pub Chain Seeks to Takeover McGettigan's Licence
EI Group requested change after complaints about management of pub
McGettigan's on Fulham Broadway. Picture: Google Streetview
January 20, 2025
The owner of the premises of McGettigan’s on Fulham Broadway is seeking to take over the licence after a number of incidents at the venue raising doubts that it will ever reopen.
The Irish pub has been closed since last month and now EI Group plc (formerly Enterprise Inns) which owns the property and was leasing it to McGettigan’s now wants to be the named licensee.
The company is seeking a transfer of the premise licence from McGettigan Holding 2015 Ltd which is owned by Dennis McGettigan. The McGettigan group has pubs in the Middle East (mainly in Dubai and Ireland).
EI Group is the largest pub group in the country with over 4,000 properties which it runs as leased and tenanted pubs. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired in March 2020 by the Stonegate Pub Company for £1.27 billion.
It had been operating at the site since January 2016 under a 30-year lease with EI Group offering ‘the Modern Irish experience’ over several levels of the pub with live music, food, Sports TV serving Guinness, Irish whiskeys, and craft beers.
Last year the pub had its licence suspended after a review was requested by the police after a woman suffered a seizure when she was allegedly struck with a glass when dancing. Staff at the pub told police attending that there had been a minor altercation, but officers were later made aware of the seriousness of the woman’s injuries by paramedics. As there had been other incidents at the venue which had previously gone unreported, the police requested a suspension and review which went into effect on 5 September. The pub reopened a month later despite a request from the police that the suspension be continued to allow for the installation of high-definition CCTV and that the former Designated Premises Supervisor (DPS) be no longer employed.
Local residents, who had objected to the renewal of the licence, claimed that there had been a number of issues with the pub since it opened and that it was responsible for a rise of crime and disorder in the area.
EI’s solicitor Gosschalks wrote to the borough licensing officer last September pointing out that the operations of the pub were the responsibility of its tenant and that it shared the police’s view about ‘poor management practices’ at McGettigans. It called for the removal of the current DPS.
McGettigans has removed the Fulham venue from its web site. We have asked the company if the pub will be reopening and, as yet , have not received a response.
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