Varsity (pub chain)
Varsity was a student-focused pub chain operating in the United Kingdom. The name originates from annual university sports competitions. It entered administration in 2013. Coventry is the only remaining pub bearing the name Varsity which is now operated by Stonegate Pub Company. History. The chain began in the mid-1990s. Its main competitor was Scream Pubs. Varsity was more sports-orientated than It's A Scream. Varsity Wolverhampton – the first varsity bar in the chain – shut its doors in June 2012 after The University of Wolverhampton made a successful bid to the struggling Barracuda Group to purchase  the building. It ceased trading in 2013. Ownership. Wolverhampton and Dudley. Varsity was founded by Wolverhampton & Dudley. Barracuda Group. The Barracuda Group was formed in July 2000 by PPM Ventures, a private equity company that became Silverfleet Capital. In September 2001 Barracuda Group bought fifty pubs from Wolverhampton & Dudley for £37.25 million, which included the 22 pubs of the Varsity chain. In June 2005, the Barracuda Group was sold for £262 million to Charterhouse Capital Partners. In August 2006 there were 36 Varsity bars. In October 2012, Barracuda was renamed The Bramwell Pub Company. The Stonegate Pub Company . In October 2013, The Bramwell Pub Company went into administration. The Stonegate Pub Company bought 78 of the company's pubs including the Varsities in Lincoln and Coventry. Operation. It operated the "V Card", one of the first loyalty cards, which allowed a cheaper price for some drinks, and allows better offers on some of the food deals.