Greene King Opens New Consolidated Depot To Serve Its Northwest Pubs and Optimise Supply Chain Efficiencies

Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer, has unveiled its major new supply chain depot in Middleton, Greater Manchester.

The 290,000 sq ft warehouse and office space - equivalent to over four football pitches - is officially operational this month, serving around 1,000 Greene King managed and free trade pubs in the northwest.

It marks a £23 million investment over the 15-year lease, in partnership with GXO, the world’s largest pure-play contract logistics provider, to harmonise Greene King’s supply chain in the region.

As many as 21,000 tonnes of drink and 11 million cases of food and GNFR (goods not for resale) will pass through the doors of the depot in a year.

The redevelopment of the Middleton site brings all elements of the supply chain, which were previously stored at three depots, under one roof. There will be cost synergies through the consolidation of all food and non-food into one site with opportunities to manage resources across the combined operation.

There are further benefits thanks to the installation of 63,500 sq ft solar panels, with the potential to generate a targeted 1.1 million kWH per year. The site has plans for a dedicated ‘re-wilding’ area, featuring perennial wildflowers and native fruit trees aimed to encourage pollinator insects and local birds as part of Greene King’s biodiversity programme.

Speaking after the official opening, Matt Starbuck, Greene King’s brewing and group supply chain managing director, said: “This is an important step in optimising our supply chain operations in the northwest and is the culmination of months of planning and hard work alongside our supply chain partner, GXO. By having all our food, drink and non-food items delivered from one depot we have an agile and operationally efficient supply chain which is good news for our pub teams, customers and communities. By leveraging our commercial strength and scale, the benefits will allow us to reinvest in the business.”

Chris Hyde, GXO UK & Ireland’s managing director – food and beverage, said: “As our partnership with Greene King continues to go from strength to strength, we are delighted to begin operating this new facility in Middleton. Earlier this year, we extended our relationship for a further 10 years, enabling us to continue driving efficiencies across Greene King’s supply chain and helping deliver outstanding products to their customers. We’re also proud that our reverse‑logistics capabilities support Greene King’s sustainability ambitions by reducing waste and increasing the recycling and re‑use of products returned to the depot or partners.”

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Notes to editors

Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.

At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 40,000 people across the group with three divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands & Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.

• Greene King pubs: Greene King pubs is our mainstream pub brand located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country with clear ambition to be “The Nation’s Most Loved Pub Brand”. Pub Partners runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive and Nest franchise pubs.

• Destination Brands & Ventures: Destination Brands is a portfolio of distinct brands which includes Hungry Horse, Chef & Brewer, Farmhouse Inns and Flaming Grill that bring friends and family together, delivering great service, quality and value for money for a range of eating out and drinking occasions. Venture includes Hickory’s, Premium (Crafted Pubs & Metropolitan Pub Company) and Hotels which operate autonomously of Greene King’s managed pub brands.

• Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.

For more information or any other media enquiries, please contact pressoffice@greeneking.co.uk.  

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