PUBMASTER hopes to pull off the biggest deal in the company's history by snapping up Scottish & Newcastle's pubs stable.
The Hartlepool group has enjoyed rapidly grown its pub portfolio - capped by the £500m deal for 1,200 Inn Partnership pubs last year.
That took its estate to 3,200 but S&N's 1,400-strong pub, restaurant and hotel chain would be the jewel in the crown.
The company declined to give more details on its bid and refused to play-up its chances of winning what will be a ruthless race with its rivals to win the deal.
A spokesman said: "We have put the bid in. We do not know how many players there are in total but it looks as though all the usual names are there.
"There seems to be a lot of interest in the estate."
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