Pub group Marston’s has replaced chief executive Andrew Andrea with Merlin Entertainments’ Justin Platt.
Andrea has been with the pub operator, which has an estate of 1,415 pubs across the UK, for the last 20 years.
The board said: “Having navigated the company through the pandemic and more recently the challenging macroeconomic conditions, Andrew Andrea has agreed with the board that he will step down as chief executive officer with immediate effect.”
Justin Platt has been appointed as chief executive with effect from 10 January 2024. Andrea will stay on to ensure a smooth handover.
Andrea said: “This is the right time for me to step down.”
Platt was most recently chief strategy officer at Merlin, where he spent the last 12 years.
The board said his “combination of operational and strategic experience in multi-site leisure businesses equips him perfectly to lead Marston’s through the next phase of its development”.
