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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, 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 ...
,
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 ...
, England. The company owns pubs, 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

The brewery was founded by Benjamin Greene in Bury St. Edmunds 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 (1996), Morland Brewery (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 ...
(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 ...
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 List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
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 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 brewe ...
, 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 famil ...
. 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 ...
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 ...
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

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 wa ...
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 t ...
, 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 ...
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, 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 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 heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in its ...
. Greene King argued that the name "The Black Bitch" had "racist and offensive connotations".


Beers


Greene King

* Abbot Ale - A premium bitter (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 197 ...
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 s ...
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 ...
(CAMRA) Great British Beer Festival in the Bitter 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 ...
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). 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 centur ...
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. Dif ...
(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 pr ...
. 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, 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 is a popular bitter, 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 ca ...
and pasteurised in bottles. First brewed in 1979 by Morland Brewery in Abingdon, Oxfordshire 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 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 quality award. 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 beer. * Tanners Jack - abv 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 ...
, like many Greene King beers. Also available in 500ml bottle. * Morland Original - abv 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 Ceremonial counties of England, 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 Riv ...
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 available on cask nationally. * Ruddles Best Bitter - A 3.7% session bitter 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 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 or suspension, such as the removal of water from ...
. 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