Shepherd Neame bosses say its pubs are “doing well” despite three of its boozers suddenly closing within weeks of each other and a number of its other premises looking for new tenants.

The Aviator pub, on Sheppey, the George Inn, at Newnham, and The Duke of Edinburgh, in Barming, have all stopped serving pints within the last five weeks, with one owner saying “ever-increasing” bills forced them out of business.

Known as Britain’s oldest brewery, Faversham-based Shepherd Neame has a portfolio of 300 pubs across the South East.

One of those is The Duke of Edinburgh, formerly known as Rockin Robin on the Green, which shut its doors just days before Christmas.

It had recently undergone a huge renovation but it was announced that it was to be temporarily closed from December 22 while Shepherd Neame looks for a new licensee.

The watering hole, in Heath Road Barming, unexpectedly said it would be shutting and cancelled its New Year's Eve party.

In a statement, a spokesman said: “I regret to inform you that as of today The Duke of Edinburgh will be closing. Again, I am so, so sorry.”

Last April, the pub was taken on by stepbrothers Rick Bucur and Carlo Podac, who gave the venue a £20,000 revamp.

However, it was then closed again before reopening in June 2023.

Shepherd Neame has confirmed it is looking for new landlords.

Director of tenanted pub operations, Greg Wallis, said: “We can confirm that we are currently recruiting a new licensee to take over The Duke of Edinburgh.”

Just a couple of weeks later, two more pubs announced their shock closures on New Year’s Day.

The Aviator pub, in Queenborough Road, Minster, was closed and put up for sale on Monday, January 1.

Its owners said: “We are now closed permanently. Unfortunately, the ever-increasing utilities have made things impossible to continue.

“We’ve had some great times at The Aviator but all good things come to an end.”

Formerly known as the Lady Hamilton, the establishment re-opened as The Aviator in 2007 and had grown to be a popular place for Sunday roasts, fry-up breakfasts and special events.

In May 2020, Shepherd Neame tried to adapt to shifting dining trends in the area by converting an outside bar in the car park into a drive-thru.

The following year the pub evolved again to become a fully-licensed wedding venue and hosted marriage celebrations with more than 150 guests.

On the same day the owners of the George Inn at Newnham, near Faversham, also announced they would be shutting – just five months after reopening with new hosts.

Tom Gravett and Renata Peret took on the tenancy of the Shepherd Neame-owned pub last summer, despite the previous landlords having to shut the business, complaining they were “financially drowning”.

But on New Year’s Day the couple, who also run the Three Mariners at Oare, explained they had to close down as they were “unable to sustain our business model”.

Shepherd Neame is looking for new tenants for the pub.

At the time Greg Wallis said: “The beer and pubs sector continues to experience material cost inflation, but we are doing everything we can to support our licensees and mitigate these increased cost pressures.

“We are confident that The George offers a fantastic business opportunity and are currently talking to interested parties.”

Last Friday the tenants of another Shepherd Neame pub, The Anchor in Faversham, also announced they will stop trading in a few weeks as they are “unable to continue with [their] commitment to Shepherd Neame”.

The 300-year-old pub only reopened in November after it closed following the town’s Hop Fest in August.

Jo and Patrick Coevet became the new owners after working as landlords in and around Faversham under the brewery’s banner for almost 30 years.

However, on January 12, they stated online: “We are very sad and sorry to tell you that due to personal circumstances, we are unable to continue with our commitment to Shepherd Neame, and yourselves as the licensees of The Anchor.

“We feel very sorry this is the case, as both yourselves and the brewery have been so enthusiastic in welcoming us back to Faversham. Unfortunately nature is stronger than we are, and has decided it’s time we retired.

“However, we feel very proud and honoured to have been offered this last opportunity to share some very special times with you very special people.”

The pair confirmed they will be handing the pub back to the brewer in March.

Shepherd Neame’s managing director of pubs, Jonathon Swaine, said: “We are currently recruiting for licensees at around 6% of the sites in our tenanted estate, which is in line with our normal turnover levels.

“Pubs change hands for a variety of personal or business-related reasons, and there often tends to be a peak in the New Year.

“Thanks to the hard work and passion of our licensees, the vast majority of our pubs are doing well, and have recovered well from the challenges of the past few years, with many enjoying a record Christmas.

“As ever, we work closely with our licensees to support them and meet the challenges of the market.

“Shepherd Neame reported good trading results for 2023, even though the hospitality sector continues to experience material cost inflation, particularly in the areas of food, energy and labour. Our interim results are due out in early March.”

Last September Shepherd Neame announced it had record revenues between June 2022 and 2023.

Although it increased its prices due to soaring costs, it said revenue grew by 9.7% to a record £166.3 million. That compares to £151.5m in 2022.

However, pre-tax profits were down to £4.9m from £7.4m the year before. It blamed a far higher increase in costs, due to inflation and interest rate increases.

The brewery currently has nine Kent pubs looking for tenants, which include The Anchor and The Duke of Edinburgh.

Another is the Dover Castle Inn, in Teynham, which had a refurbishment in April last year.

Shepherd Neame is now looking for someone to take over the running of the pub.

Other pubs looking for tenants include The Bull in Tunbridge Wells, Gardeners Arms in Higham, Homeward Bound in Halling, The Crayford Arms in Crayford, The George Inn in Meopham, and The White Horse in Boughton.