Greene King is a large pub retailer and brewer. It is based in
Bury St Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market town, market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – ...
,
Suffolk
Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...
, England. The company owns
pub
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
s, restaurants and hotels. It was listed on the
London Stock Exchange
London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Pau ...
until it was acquired by
CK Assets in October 2019.
History
![Greene King Brewery North Street Tavern Sudbury](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/Greene_King_Brewery_North_Street_Tavern_Sudbury.jpg)
The brewery was founded by
Benjamin Greene in
Bury St. Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton A ...
in 1799.
In Richard Wilson's biographical analysis of the Greene family, he credits various family members for being able to achieve distinction in the worlds of business and banking, literature (
Graham Greene
Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...
, for example) and broadcasting in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.'
In 1836 Edward Greene took over the business and in 1887 it merged with Frederick William King's brewing business to create Greene King.
Greene King has grown via mergers and acquisitions, including Rayments Brewery (1961), the Magic Pub Company (1996),
Hungry Horse
Hungry Horse is a chain of 284 pub restaurants in England, Wales and Scotland which is owned by Greene King Brewery. It was first established in 1995 and promotes itself as offering low cost meals for families and groups. Work began on a new ...
(1996),
Morland Brewery
Morland was a British brewery which was bought by Greene King in 2000. Morland's beers include Hen's Tooth, Old Speckled Hen, Tanner's Jack and Morland's Original.
John Morland founded the brewery in 1711. In the 1860s, Morland bought Abbey Br ...
(1999), Old English Inns (2001),
Morrells (2002), a large part of the
Laurel Pub Company
The Bay Restaurant Group is a hospitality company in the United Kingdom, specialising in restaurant and pub chains.
History
The company originates from three former companies: Yates's, SFI Group and the Laurel Pub Company.
Laurel Pub Company
...
(2004),
Ridley's Brewery
Ridley's Brewery is a defunct brewery. It was founded in 1842, and was located in Hartford End, Essex. In August 2002 the company bought out the Tolly Cobbold brewery. Then, in 2005 Ridley's was bought by Greene King for £45.6 million closing i ...
(2005),
Belhaven Brewery
Belhaven Brewery is a brewery based in Belhaven, Scotland. The brewery dates from 1719, at least; by 2005 it had become the largest and oldest surviving independent brewery in Scotland. In November 2005, the Suffolk based brewery Greene Ki ...
(2005),
Hardys and Hansons (2006), the
Loch Fyne
Loch Fyne ( gd, Loch Fìne, ; meaning "Loch of the Vine/Wine"), is a sea loch off the Firth of Clyde and forms part of the coast of the Cowal peninsula. Located on the west coast of Argyll and Bute, Scotland. It extends inland from the Sound o ...
fish restaurant chain (2007), Cloverleaf (2011), Realpubs (2011), the Capital Pub Company (2011) and the
Spirit Pub Company
Spirit Pub Company plc (Spirit) was a pub and restaurant company in the United Kingdom based in Burton upon Trent and originally formed by Punch Taverns. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until it was acquired by Greene King in June 20 ...
(2015).
The Spirit acquisition, where Greene King bought Spirit for £773.6m, took the total number of Greene King sites to 3,116, brought 14 brands together and made Greene King the largest managed pub company in the UK. It was completed on 23 June 2015.
It was announced in November 2018 that Rooney Anand would be stepping down from his role as CEO after 14 years in the position.
In 2019 the
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
based
CK Assets announced the proposed take over of Greene King, which shareholders had to approve. According to the ''
Financial Times
The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'', the holding company took the view that the pubs owned by Greene King are an asset that is safe from potential recession. Analyst David Blennerhassett told the ''FT'' that CK Assets has a track record of buying such assets in the UK and he does not expect it to sell Greene King later as a bet on the falling pound. The takeover was approved by the High Court in October 2019.
Operations
![The Carleton, Pontefract (geograph 2616472)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a1/The_Carleton%2C_Pontefract_%28geograph_2616472%29.jpg)
The Greene King brewery in Bury St Edmunds produces beers branded in the names of breweries now closed, including Morland (Old Speckled Hen),
Ruddles
Ruddles Brewery (G. Ruddle & Co) was a brewery in Rutland, England. The brand is now owned by Greene King who still brew beers under the Ruddles name in Suffolk, although the current recipes are not those used at the original brewery.
The brewer ...
, Hardys & Hanson and
Tolly Cobbold
Tolly Cobbold is a former brewery in Suffolk, England.
History
The name Tolly Cobbold is an amalgamation of the two family-run brewers: the Tollemache Brewery owned by the Tollemache family and the Cobbold Brewery owned by the Cobbold family ...
. The
Belhaven Brewery
Belhaven Brewery is a brewery based in Belhaven, Scotland. The brewery dates from 1719, at least; by 2005 it had become the largest and oldest surviving independent brewery in Scotland. In November 2005, the Suffolk based brewery Greene Ki ...
in
Dunbar
Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ecc ...
continues to operate in Scotland.
The group operates 3,100 pubs, restaurants and hotels:
* Its retail division is split between its destination pubs and restaurants (with brands including Hungry Horse, Loch Fyne, Taylor Walker and Metropolitan Pub Company) and its local pubs.
Its strategy is to open further retail outlets.
* Its pub partners division has leased, tenanted and franchised pubs.
Its strategy is to reduce the numbers of these outlets.
Visitor centre
![Greene King Brewery - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/Greene_King_Brewery_-_geograph.org.uk_-_289404.jpg)
There is a visitor centre next to the brewery, and tours are run regularly throughout the week. The brewery has an exhibition of
pub sign
A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...
artwork by
George Taylor, who designed over 250 such signs for Greene King pubs.
People
Greene King has been supporting apprenticeships since 2011 through its Greene King Apprenticeship Programme. Since launch, the scheme has processed some 9,000 apprentices.
In 2016, Greene King launched the Get Into Hospitality Programme in partnership with The Prince's Trust. The aim of the programme is to address the skills and experience gaps that prevent unemployed people from getting into work. Those who successfully complete and graduate from the programme are offered a role onto the Greene King Apprenticeship Programme.
In 2017, Greene King launched the Craft Academy, an 18-month brewing venture led by apprentices. Through the programme, apprentices earn while they learn about brewing, design and marketing. Through the scheme, they will gain a Level 3 NVQ Diploma in Sales. The first five beers from the Craft Academy were launched at Craft Beer Rising Festival in London and include; Over Easy (3.8% session IPA), Big Bang IPA (5.6% bold and citrusy IPA), Bitter Sweet (6% black IPA), Desert Ryeder (4.8% rye beer) and High & Dry (5% dry hop lager).
Criticism
Greene King's ongoing business expansion has sometimes been the subject of criticism. As a result of its active acquisition policy, it has come to be known by beer protesters as "Greedy King". The growing consumer reaction to Greene King buying out smaller breweries was demonstrated towards the end of 2006 when a pub in
Lewes
Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...
, East Sussex started a well-publicised protest against Greene King for removing the locally produced
Harveys Sussex Best Bitter from sale, while continuing to sell other guest beers.
In January 2014, popular
Manchester
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...
pub The Lass O'Gowrie, voted "Best Pub in Britain" at the Great British Pub Awards in 2012, closed after the landlord was forced out in an argument over rent. Having lost 40% of their trade after the BBC moved to
Salford
Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...
, the landlord had won a rent reduction at an independent tribunal before being forced out by the brewery.
Greene King has also been criticised for removing many traditional and historic pub signs as part of rebranding schemes.
In 2021, residents of
Linlithgow
Linlithgow (; gd, Gleann Iucha, sco, Lithgae) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland. It was historically West Lothian's county town, reflected in the county's historical name of Linlithgowshire. An ancient town, it lies in the Central Belt on a ...
launched a petition aimed at preventing Greene King from changing the name of "The Black Bitch" pub to "The Black Hound". The term "black bitches" is traditionally used for natives of the town, and an image of a black bitch appears on the town's
coat of arms
A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...
. Greene King argued that the name "The Black Bitch" had "racist and offensive connotations".
Beers
Greene King
![Greene King IPA Cup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Greene_King_IPA_Cup.jpg)
* Abbot Ale - A
premium bitter
Bitter is an English style of pale ale that varies in colour from Golden ale (UK), gold to dark amber, and in strength typically from 3% to 5.5% alcohol by volume.
History
The term "bitter" has been used in England to describe pale ale since th ...
(5.0% abv) first brewed in the 1950s. The ingredients are pale, crystal and amber malts; with First Gold,
Challenger
Challenger, Challengers, or The Challengers may refer to:
Entertainment
Comics and manga
* Challenger (character), comic book character
* ''Challengers'' (manga), manga by Hinako Takanaga
Film and TV
* ''The Challengers'' (TV series), a 1979 ...
and
Fuggles
This is a list of varieties of hop (''Humulus lupulus'').
As there are male and female plants, the flowers (cones) of the female plant are fertilized by the pollen of the male flowers with the result that the female flowers form seeds. These se ...
hops - the Fuggles being late-hopped. In 2007 Abbot Reserve (6.5% abv) was introduced as a winter special in the cask, with year-round availability in the bottle.
* Greene King IPA - An English IPA (3.6% abv) served in pubs and cans available from supermarkets and off-licences nationally. It is made using Challenger and First Gold hops and using pale and crystal malt.
Greene King IPA controversially won the Gold award at the 2004
Campaign for Real Ale
The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) is an independent voluntary consumer organisation headquartered in St Albans, England, which promotes real ale, cider and perry and traditional British pubs and clubs. With just under 155,000 members, it is th ...
(CAMRA)
Great British Beer Festival
The Great British Beer Festival (sometimes abbreviated as GBBF) is an annual beer festival organised by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA). It presents a selection of cask ales, and the Champion Beer of Britain awards, and is held in August of e ...
in the
Bitter
Bitter may refer to:
Common uses
* Resentment, negative emotion or attitude, similar to being jaded, cynical or otherwise negatively affected by experience
* Bitter (taste), one of the five basic tastes
Books
* '' Bitter (novel)'', a 2022 nove ...
category and runner-up in the
Champion Beer of Britain
The Champion Beer of Britain (also known as CBOB) is an award presented by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), at its annual Great British Beer Festival in early August.
Qualification and judging
Beers can qualify for the Champion Beer of Brita ...
category. In 2009, Greene King began to roll out a new form of dispense which allows customers to choose either a "Northern" or a "Southern"
head
A head is the part of an organism which usually includes the ears, brain, forehead, cheeks, chin, eyes, nose, and mouth, each of which aid in various sensory functions such as sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Some very simple animals may ...
on their beer. In 2012, two extensions of the brand were launched: Gold and Reserve.
* IPA Export - A stronger cask bitter (5.0% abv) IPA available from off-licences in bottles, also made using Challenger and English First Gold hops.
[
* Olde Suffolk/Strong Suffolk Vintage - A strong old ale (6% abv) that is a blend of two ales, one being aged in oak for two years. It is available in bottles.
* St Edmunds - A crisp golden ale (4.2% abv) available in both bottles and cask nationally.
* Greene King XX Mild (3% ]ABV
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...
). A dark mild ale
Mild ale is a type of ale. Modern milds are mostly dark-coloured, with an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 3% to 3.6%, although there are lighter-hued as well as stronger milds, reaching 6% abv and higher. Mild originated in Britain in the 17th century ...
available on cask. Black and Crystal malts, Northdown hops.
* Ice Breaker - A pale ale
Pale ale is a golden to amber coloured beer style brewed with pale malt. The term first appeared around 1703 for beers made from malts dried with high-carbon coke, which resulted in a lighter colour than other beers popular at that time. Diff ...
(4.5% ABV) made with pale and amber malt, with using two notable American hops varieties Citra and Simcoe Simcoe may refer to:
Geography Canada
* Simcoe, Ontario, a town in southwestern Ontario, near Lake Erie, Canada
* Simcoe County, a county in central Ontario, Canada
* Lake Simcoe, a lake in central Ontario, Canada
* Simcoe North, a federal and pro ...
. Available on cask and limited distribution in Waitrose.
Hardy's and Hansons
* Olde Trip - A 4.3% Premium Ale. Named in honour of the Nottingham inn Ye Olde Trip To Jerusalem
Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem is a Grade II listed public house in Nottingham which claims to have been established in 1189, although there is no documentation to verify this date. The building rests against Castle Rock, upon which Nottingham Cast ...
, which claims to be the oldest inn in Britain. As of September 2007 this was for sale in the Brewery Museum in 500ml bottles.
Belhaven
* Belhaven Best
* Belhaven Black
* Nowhere Pale Ale
* Twisted Grapefruit IPA
Morland
* Old Speckled Hen
Old Speckled Hen is a premium bitter from the Morland Brewery, now owned by Greene King Brewery. Old Speckled Hen was first brewed in 1979 in Abingdon, England, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the MG car factory there on 30 November 1979 ...
is a popular bitter
Bitter may refer to:
Common uses
* Resentment, negative emotion or attitude, similar to being jaded, cynical or otherwise negatively affected by experience
* Bitter (taste), one of the five basic tastes
Books
* '' Bitter (novel)'', a 2022 nove ...
, available both as a cask ale
Real ale is the name coined by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) for beer that is "brewed from traditional ingredients, matured by secondary fermentation in the container from which it is dispensed, and served without the use of extraneous car ...
and pasteurised
Pasteurization or pasteurisation is a process of food preservation in which packaged and non-packaged foods (such as milk and fruit juices) are treated with mild heat, usually to less than , to eliminate pathogens and extend shelf life.
The ...
in bottles. First brewed in 1979 by Morland Brewery
Morland was a British brewery which was bought by Greene King in 2000. Morland's beers include Hen's Tooth, Old Speckled Hen, Tanner's Jack and Morland's Original.
John Morland founded the brewery in 1711. In the 1860s, Morland bought Abbey Br ...
in Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon-on-Thames ( ), commonly known as Abingdon, is a historic market town and civil parish in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire, England, on the River Thames. Historically the county town of Berkshire, since 1974 Abingdon has been admin ...
to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the MG car company setting up in Abingdon, and named after the MG factory's MG car - the paint splattered Owld' Speckled 'Un. Brewed since 1999 by Greene King. Greene King has retained the strain of yeast first used in 1896. ''Old Golden Hen'' has received a coveted Monde Selection Monde Selection is an annual non-competitive award open to food, drinks, and cosmetics products, created in 1961. It is run by the commercial company, International Institute for Quality Selections, Brussels, Belgium. Consumer products are tasted a ...
Award at the 2012 World Quality Selections. By receiving this award, the ''Old Golden Hen'' became the third and final member of the Old Speckled Hen family to win a Monde Selection Monde Selection is an annual non-competitive award open to food, drinks, and cosmetics products, created in 1961. It is run by the commercial company, International Institute for Quality Selections, Brussels, Belgium. Consumer products are tasted a ...
quality award
An award, sometimes called a distinction, is something given to a recipient as a token of recognition of excellence in a certain field. When the token is a medal, ribbon or other item designed for wearing, it is known as a decoration.
An awar ...
. In 2008, Greene King released a vintage oaked, super premium version of Old Speckled Hen, named ''Old Crafty Hen'' (6.5%).
* Hen's Tooth - A 6.5% bottle conditioned
Brewing is the production of beer by steeping a starch source (commonly cereal grains, the most popular of which is barley) in water and fermenting the resulting sweet liquid with yeast. It may be done in a brewery by a commercial brewer, ...
beer.
* Tanners Jack - abv
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...
4.4% - Regularly seen across the country as a guest beer, often found in Wetherspoons
J D Wetherspoon plc (branded variously as Wetherspoon or Wetherspoons, and colloquially known as Spoons) is a pub company operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The company was founded in 1979 by Tim Martin and is based in Watford. It op ...
, like many Greene King beers. Also available in 500ml bottle.
* Morland Original - abv
Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...
4.0% - Not seen as much as it was but often pops up in the old Morland heartlands. Also available in 500ml bottle.
Ridley's
* Old Bob (Formerly) - Originally brewed in Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
by Ridley's Brewery
Ridley's Brewery is a defunct brewery. It was founded in 1842, and was located in Hartford End, Essex. In August 2002 the company bought out the Tolly Cobbold brewery. Then, in 2005 Ridley's was bought by Greene King for £45.6 million closing i ...
then later at Greene King's main brewery at Bury St. Edmunds after acquisition, it was a premium strong bitter, with a strength of 5.1% ABV and available both on cask and bottled. While it has not yet been confirmed as discontinued, it has not been available from Greene King's online shop since May 2022, and its listing has since been deleted.
Ruddles
* Ruddles County - A 4.7% bitter
Bitter may refer to:
Common uses
* Resentment, negative emotion or attitude, similar to being jaded, cynical or otherwise negatively affected by experience
* Bitter (taste), one of the five basic tastes
Books
* '' Bitter (novel)'', a 2022 nove ...
available on cask nationally.
* Ruddles Best Bitter - A 3.7% session bitter
Bitter is an English style of pale ale that varies in colour from gold to dark amber, and in strength typically from 3% to 5.5% alcohol by volume.
History
The term "bitter" has been used in England to describe pale ale since the early 19th cent ...
with national distribution.
* Ruddles Orchard - This 4.2% cask bitter consists of Ruddles County with the addition of apple concentrate
A concentrate is a form of Chemical substance, substance that has had the majority of its base component (in the case of a liquid: the solvent) removed. Typically, this will be the removal of water from a Solution (chemistry), solution or suspens ...
. Also available pasteurised in bottles.
Trader Joe's
* The King's English - A 6.0% export IPA.
In March 2016, Greene King won Best Managed Pub Company (51+ sites) at the 2016 Publican Awards. Greene King's chief executive, Rooney Anand, also won Business of the Year Award at the Publican Awards 2016. In March 2017, Greene King Pub Partners won Best Tenanted & Leased Pub Company (201+ sites) at the 2017 Publican Awards.
References
External links
Greene King website
{{Authority control
1799 establishments in England
British brands
Breweries in the United Kingdom
Bury St Edmunds
Companies based in Suffolk
British companies established in 1799
Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange
Pub chains
2019 mergers and acquisitions
CK Hutchison Holdings
Breweries in England
Food and drink companies established in 1799