From pub group deals to The Epicurean Club's sale, then Loupe
Matt Parry-Hann joined Cirrus Inns as general counsel and led its deal work. He co-founded The Epicurean Club within the group. As chief executive of The Epicurean Club, he led it through Covid and then through its sale when its shareholders' objectives changed. He went on to become chief commercial officer of Loupe, the new parent company of The Epicurean Club. At Loupe, the business plan, model and fundraising he worked on led to a £2.2m fundraise.
The journey ran from the deal work of a growing pub group to running The Epicurean Club through Covid and its sale.
Matt joined Cirrus Inns as general counsel and became part of a senior executive team of four, responsible for strategic thinking across the pub group and its subsidiaries. That is where he learned the buy-side of M&A, from negotiating terms and running due diligence to leading the integration of acquired businesses into the group. The Epicurean Club began within the group as an editorial and sales and marketing platform, showcasing independent, hard-to-find countryside businesses that deserved a bigger audience. Matt co-founded it, and it became a technology-led membership and booking business and a standalone company within the group.
As chief executive of The Epicurean Club, Matt led it through Covid and, when its shareholders' objectives changed from building and holding to a sale, defined the strategy for that sale and led The Epicurean Club through it. He then joined Loupe, the new parent company of The Epicurean Club following its sale, as chief commercial officer.
- Buy-side M&A
- Due diligence
- Integration
- Fundraising
- Bank financing
- Business creation
- Sale strategy
- Commercial partnerships
- Go-to-market
What the journey involved
General counsel to a growing pub group
As general counsel at Cirrus Inns, Matt led 22 acquisitions, plus 2 corporate acquisitions and a joint venture, negotiating terms, running due diligence and leading the integration of the acquired businesses into the group. He also led a corporate disposal and a sale-and-leaseback, ran three investment rounds, raising over £30m in total, and two bank financings, and worked closely with the CFO on valuation models, EBITDA enhancement and acquisition targeting.
Co-founding The Epicurean Club
Matt co-founded The Epicurean Club within Cirrus Inns, as an editorial and sales and marketing platform for the group. It became a technology-led membership and booking business, and a standalone company within the group. Matt also led The Epicurean Club's acquisition and integration of a competitor.
Chief executive through Covid
As chief executive of The Epicurean Club, Matt oversaw all of its operations through the pandemic and the closure of hospitality, reducing costs by 70% while revenue grew by 30%+ a year for three consecutive years. The business grew to 15k+ paying members and a 220k+ organic database, contracted 175 inns and 38 experience providers, and built commercial partnerships with Volvo, Musto, Chase Distillery and Double Dutch.
The sale
At The Epicurean Club, the shareholders' objectives changed from the original build-and-hold model to a sale. Matt defined the strategy to meet those objectives and led The Epicurean Club through its sale.
Chief commercial officer at Loupe
Loupe, the new parent company of The Epicurean Club following its sale, was a technology-first discovery and digital marketplace for the best of Britain. As chief commercial officer of Loupe, Matt worked on the business plan, model and fundraising that led to a £2.2m fundraise, and hired new teams across editorial, design, marketing and product build, leading to a rebrand of the proposition. He was responsible for strategy, product, web design, user testing, sales and go-to-market for the B2B business.
Three businesses, five stages
The Epicurean Club began inside the pub group and became a standalone company within it. The sale of The Epicurean Club is where the journey turned before carrying on at Loupe, its new parent company.
What that experience brings
As chief executive of The Epicurean Club, Matt learned what it means to be the one making the decisions, not advising on them. Navigating Covid, managing investor expectations, pivoting strategy and leading The Epicurean Club through its sale gave him that perspective. It shapes how he advises business owners today, together with the buy-side, fundraising and integration work he led as general counsel at Cirrus Inns.
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