Property agent Gerald Eve has been appointed to sell a total of 24 pubs for the Charles Wells Pub Company.

So far it has disposed of 11 of them and has a further four under offer. Of the 11 sold, nine were closed at the time and two were trading. Four have been bought for possible alternative use. The pubs, which range in price from £100,000 to £600,000 and are located between Leamington Spa in the west, Peterborough in the east, London to the south and Bourne to the north, are not seen to have a place in Charles Wells' future growth plans.

Gerald Eve's Chris Ford said it was a "challenging instruction given the current economic conditions". However, he added that there had been good interest in all 24 sites and that - in the face of press stories highlighting the fall in the number of pubs countrywide - seven of the buyers have committed to a renewed future for the premises as successful pubs. Charles Wells has recently acquired 31 pubs in a series of purchases, including two portfolios from Punch Taverns.