Greene King Pub Partners on Track to Invest £27 Million in Pubs in 2025

Greene King Pub Partners, the leased, tenanted and franchise division of Greene King, is on course to invest £27 million in its pub estate during 2025 – its biggest annual investment in recent years, despite rising costs facing the industry.

This latest investment follows significant capital expenditure of £23 million in 2023 and again in 2024, demonstrating Greene King’s continued and consistent commitment to supporting its leased, tenanted and franchise partners, maintaining high-quality pubs and investing in communities across the UK.

Greene King’s £27 million investment in 2025 is being used to support these businesses by refurbishing and transforming leased, tenanted and franchise pubs across England and Scotland this year. It comes at a time when costs facing the sector are higher than ever following a reduction in business rates relief for small businesses in April and rising employment costs.

These investments have funded projects including internal and external refurbishments, as well as major transformational developments designed to help Greene King’s Pub Partner’s grow their pub businesses and deliver the best possible experience for their customers and communities.

Greene King Pub Partners operates over 950 leased, tenanted and franchise pubs and has a long-standing track record of investment, with its pubs playing a key role in their local communities.

Earlier this year, Greene King Pub Partners announced that 94% of its estate is currently let out on substantive agreements - the highest occupancy rate among the UK’s biggest partnership pub businesses.

This is driven by a combination of Greene King Pub Partner’s investment levels in its estate, along with its long-standing partnerships with its leased & tenanted operators and the successful growth of its franchise business. Thanks in part to these high investment levels, the average length of tenant and lessee tenure in Greene King Pub Partner’s business is eight years and two months.

On top of these well-established, sustainable pub partnerships, Greene King’s investment levels have helped it to attract new talent to run leased, tenanted and franchise pubs. In 2024, it recruited over 100 new tenants, lessees and franchisees to operate its pubs and it is on track to receive a record number of applications to run its pubs in 2025.

Dan Robinson, Managing Director of Greene King Pub Partners, said:

“We are incredibly proud of the continued investment we are making in our pubs. Hitting £27 million of investment this year is a clear sign of our long-term commitment to supporting our partners and the communities we serve, especially at a time when pubs are facing rising costs.

“This sustained investment is part of our strategy to ensure our pubs remain vibrant, sustainable businesses at the heart of local communities – whether they are leased, tenanted or franchise.

“We know how important pubs are to the social and economic fabric of the UK – and we’re proud to play our part in backing them.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

Please see attached pictures of the Marquis of Lorne in Stevenage and The Derby Arms in Knowsley near Liverpool, two recent Greene King Pub Partners Hive Pub franchise investments.

Press Contact: Nick Lawrie Email: NickLawrie@greeneking.co.uk Tel: 07812 256245

About Greene King Pub Partners:

Greene King Pub Partners operates leased, tenanted and franchise pubs across England, Scotland and Wales with independent business partners. In March 2023 it was recognised as the best leased and tenanted pub company at the Publican Awards, the 6th time Greene King Pub Partners has won the national industry award.

About Greene King:

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 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.  

Press Contact: Nick Lawrie Email: NickLawrie@greeneking.co.uk Tel: 07812 256245

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