East Midlands independent pub group The Orange Tree is to bring something new to Loughborough's nightlife after buying The Newshouse next door to its pub in Bedford Square.

The Orange Tree plans to refurbish the venue and open it in late summer or early autumn.

Managing director Ben Hings said: "It will be a late night venue to complement what The Orange Tree next door offers, and will be true to the style of our other outlets."

The group opened The Orange Tree in Loughborough in 1998, a year after launching The Orange Tree in Leicester. This was followed by the O Bar in Leicester in 2001. The group's Orange Tree in Nottingham opened in October 2003, followed by The Lansdowne in Leicester in December 2004.

It was recently announced that the group was opening its first club after taking over a site formerly occupied by The Basement in Wellington Street, Leicester. The club, which will retain the name The Basement, is currently being transformed into a flexible venue with an alternative feel and offer, and is due to open in early summer.

This latest acquisition is good news for both the company and for Loughborough's nightlife, said Ben Hings.

"We are very pleased to have bought The Newshouse," he said. "We plan to change the name, refurbish the venue, and hope to be opening something new and exciting for Loughborough's nightlife in a few months time."

The independent pub group was founded by Ben Hings and Gareth Smith in October 1997.