Blacksmiths Arms

Top Town, Barwell

Your Local Partnership

Overview

The Blacksmiths is a thriving, wet‑led village pub located right in the heart of Barwell and firmly established as a key stop on the local circuit. This is a high‑performing, well‑loved site with a strong reputation and a proven trading history – an ideal opportunity for a self‑employed operator ready to step into a successful business with room to grow.

Trading is strong throughout the week thanks to its central village location and diverse customer base. Daytime sees regulars from the local community, while afternoons and evenings are busy with workmen, sports fans, couples and groups. Weekends are particularly lively, driven by live sport and the pub’s place on the circuit.

Sky Sports is a major draw, with the pub being extremely popular for key sporting fixtures and home to three established darts teams, ensuring consistent midweek and event‑driven footfall.

One of the pub’s standout features is its excellent outdoor space. The large, well‑used garden includes a substantial covered area, making it a real summer destination and perfectly suited for outdoor screenings of major sporting events, including this year’s World Cup. With the right operator, this space offers huge potential to further boost sales.

Exceptionally well run for the past seven years, the pub consistently achieves a Reputation score of around 845, reflecting the loyalty of its customers and the strength of its offer. The Blacksmiths Arms is currently averaging £6,600 per week, 100% wet‑led.

There is clear opportunity to grow the business further through regular entertainment, live sport activation and increased engagement with local teams and groups. For the right self‑employed operator, The Blacksmiths offers a rare blend of strong existing trade, community roots and genuine upside potential.

What’s in it for you?

  • 20% share of weekly wet sales, excluding VAT.
  • Low ingoing costs, starting with just a £5,000 deposit and £360 legal cost. (*deposits can vary dependant on business – ask us for more details*)
  • Accommodation included with most bills covered, except the council tax & TV License.

As part of our application process, we use Lily, an AI-powered interviewing assistant to support the early stages of screening. Lily helps us move quickly, keep things flexible for you, and create a more consistent candidate experience, but one thing you should know – all hiring decisions are still made by our people. 

Office

Yes

Bedrooms

3 bedrooms

Details

The accommodation is in really good order with three bedrooms, bathroom and domestic kitchen.

Pub features

Private accommodation

Pub games

Beer garden

Live acts

How to apply

Blacksmiths Arms, Top Town, Barwell

Top Town, Barwell
LE9 8DD
Location map

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Partner FAqs

We understand that taking on your own pub business is an important decision. We are proud to operate under the provisions of the Pubs Code regulations (2016), by providing certain important information during the recruitment process which will enable you to make an informed decision about the pub business and the agreement which you are applying for. The recruitment process is structured to include meetings with our recruitment and operations team (virtually or in person). The process usually takes 3-6 weeks from application to offer, but varies depending on meeting dates, availability and information required for the completion of the business plan.

For any of our partnership agreements you must have a personal licence to legally operate one of our pubs. We can help in the process of obtaining a personal licence through our partners at John Gaunt. A member of our recruitment team will be able to discuss this option with you as part of your application or enquiry.

If you receive an offer from us, we will require payment of the full deposit at your earliest convenience. However, from time to time at the Regional Operations Managers discretion a part deposit payment may be made with an agreed deposit builder in place for the remaining amount. The deposit, or deposit builder, would need to be paid before the commencement of the agreement.

Takings are banked in a Marston’s account in accordance with the agreements, to allow us to deduct our Management Charge. Your share (‘Retained Sum’) will be settled on a weekly basis. Any guaranteed annual Retained Sum is released on a weekly basis to you at the same time as your turnover % share Retained Sum.

In any partner agreement pub with a Marston’s menu on offer there is no opportunity to put on your own version of food or specials due to allergies and food regulations. We do have a number of pubs that do not have a Marston’s menu in, and you are free to put on your own food menu.

Marston’s are well aware that life doesn’t always go to plan, that’s why most of our Partnerships have an early termination clause which can be triggered by both parties. There is the option to give three or six months’ notice (depending on the agreement) for both parties and would need to be confirmed in writing to your Area Manager.

Our award-winning learning and development teams offer tonnes of support and training to both partners and your pub teams. When you join us, you will be booked onto our BII* accredited induction programme which includes classroom-based learning, practical sessions and for our food-led businesses, time spent at one of our Centres of Excellence pubs where an experience operator will show you the ropes.

As a Marston’s partner, you’ll also get access to our online training platform where you will be able to access a wide range of free online training courses, tools, and resources. In addition, our trainers will support you with in-person and virtual training sessions when you need the extra help! Our team can also help you access a range of apprenticeships for entry level team members, up to managers and directors.

We do have multiple pub operators across our business, this is approved on a case by case basis and would need to be approved at a senior level. Feel free to discuss this with a member of our recruitment team in the first instance.

What happens next?

What happens next?

01

Speak to a member of our team

02

Meet one of our area managers

03

Providing you with information on the pub

04

Present your business plan

05

Offer and arrangements for taking on your pub business!