Greene King makes a £42 million investment into its estate

Pub company and brewer Greene King has invested almost £42 million into 130 of its pubs and restaurants in the first six months of the year.

The business, which has around 2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland, revealed how it had invested £24 million into 62 pubs in the Greene King managed estate. The company also made a £1.1 million investment into the Railway pub by London’s Liverpool Street station as well as invested in its second Farmhouse Kitchen site in the UK, Silkwood Park in Wakefield, to offer an elevated dining experience for customers.

The rollout of Hickory’s continues, with plans to open a total of 10 restaurants throughout 2025. This builds on the six new smokehouses which were opened throughout 2024.

Across Greene King Pub Partners – Greene King’s leased, tenanted and franchise division – almost £9 million has been invested across 63 pubs – 18 of which are newly-opened franchise sites. Notable franchise site refurbishments include the Anchor in Walsworth and the Turf & Feather in Birchwood.

The beginning of 2025 also saw Pub Partners launch its franchise businesses in Scotland, with the first Nest pub at the Tarbet, Edinburgh and first Hive pub, and largest spend to date, at the Stables in Stenhousemuir.

Speaking about the investments, Greene King CEO Nick Mackenzie said: “We are determined to offer our customers the best pub experience and so it is important to maintain momentum in our investment plans despite the challenging wider economic environment. We have some brilliant pubs in great locations and we want to make the most out of our bricks and mortar so our pub teams can thrive in the best settings and give our customers great hospitality and fantastic experiences.”

Mackenzie added: “Customers appreciate the efforts we go to in making their local the best it can be and we intend to keep investing in our estate and maximising the potential of our brands and assets. However, we can only continue to do this if the government supports the sector so it is given the potential to thrive.”

In 2024 (January – June), there were a total of 36 managed pub projects, totalling about £26 million, including a seven-figure investment at The Chef & Brewer Wheatsheaf Hotel in Virginia Water. Greene King however has not rested on its laurels and invested almost £9 million across its Pub Partners sites in the first half of 2024, totalling 96 projects.

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