Greene King announces new brewing strategy focusing on the pub trade

• Greene King to focus on selling its beers in its own pubs and UK on trade; moving away from the off trade

• Strengthens the link between Greene King’s own 2,500 pubs and its much-loved beers

• As part of the ongoing focus on pubs, Greene King to sell Old Speckled Hen family of beers to Damm UK

• Proposed strategy to be introduced in June 2027 with opening of new £40m state-of-the-art brewery in Bury St Edmunds

Tuesday, 19 May 2026 – Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer, today announces a new brewing strategy.

Greene King is focusing on building a modern pub and brewing business and growing its market share in its strategically important on trade channels, with its award-winning beers forming a key part of building a long-term platform for growth. The new strategy will strengthen the link between Greene King’s pubs and its beers to develop greater brand appreciation as the company continues to pour its traditional cask ales and craft beers, including Greene King IPA, Abbot Ale, Level Head and Hazy Day, to deliver outstanding customer experiences in its pubs.

Therefore, the company will move away from selling its Greene King family of beers through the off trade and export channels. As part of this, given The Old Speckled Hen (OSH) family of brands account for over 50% of Greene King’s off-trade sales, Greene King has announced today that it has agreed to sell the OSH family of beer brands to Damm UK, owner of Estrella Damm, the family-owned Spanish brewing business with operations in Bedford, UK (please see separate announcement for more details).

The £40m investment in Greene King’s new Bury St Edmunds brewery builds on the company’s 200-year presence in the town with the new strategy focused on future-proofing Greene King’s brewing business against the backdrop of a declining cask ale market. The modern facility will also provide environmental benefits, and support innovation in experimenting with new beer concepts to best serve customers’ changing tastes, while delivering the much-loved beers in its existing portfolio through pubs across the country.

Nick Mackenzie, CEO of Greene King, said: “Brewing beer in Bury St Edmunds to be sold in pubs is what we have been doing for more than 200 years. By making this core to our renewed brewing strategy, we are proposing optimising our brewing operations to focus on winning where we are strongest, delivering our beers to the pubs where our customers most love to drink them and setting Greene King up for long-term profitable growth.”

Greene King’s Belhaven brewing business is not impacted by these changes.

Notes to Editors

About Greene King

Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer trading c2,500 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire, the Group employs around 38,000 people and operates three divisions including Managed Pubs, Pub Partners and Brewing & Brands.

• Managed Pubs: Brings together best-known pub and restaurant brands nationwide, including Greene King pubs, Hungry Horse, Chef & Brewer, Farmhouse Inns and Flaming Grill.

• Pub Partners: Runs the tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive and Nest franchise pubs. The Group has c.1,000 leased, tenanted and franchise pubs.

• Brewing & Brands: Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. The portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and premium beers Level Head and Hazy Day.

For more information:

Harry Vavasour, Headland Consultancy | Email: HVavasour@headlandconsultancy.com

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