A facilities management firm has bought its second Suffolk pub after branching out into the hospitality trade.

Atalian Servest, one of the county's biggest employers, has acquired The Swan at Long Melford.

Last year, Servest, which is based at Fornham All Saints, Bury St Edmunds, merged with France-based facilities management giant Atalian, taking the enlarged business to 125k employees worldwide and a turnover of £2.4bn.

Later that year, Atalian Servest, which has a catering arm, Angel Hill Co, purchased the Cock Horse on Church Street in Lavenham, carrying out significant renovations and recruiting a number of guest chefs.

MORE - Servest merger with Atalian Group to create 3bn euro groupThe Swan , which is on Long Melford's high street, close to stately home Kentwell Hall, offers seasonal menus curated by head chef Nickolas Traher.

All produce is sourced from local businesses including Lavenham Butchers, Infusions 4 Chefs, Fisher and Woods, and Clarke & Son butchers.

From June, The Swan, which officially opened in early May, is set to offer luxury boutique bed and breakfast accommodation. Atalian Servest chief executive for the UK and Ireland Daniel Dickson said: "We are thrilled to announce The Swan as our second Suffolk-based pub. The pub will help us to develop the reputation set by our team at The Cock Horse of serving skilfully executed and beautifully presented British cuisine, with great service."

When it merged with Atalian in 2018, Servest employed around 300 staff at its Suffolk headquarters and was turning over around £457m.