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By Matt Furnell, 28/01/2010 3:49 pm

Greene King Pub Partners has launched a new consumer attracting campaign “SWAGs” with the help of their female licensees to encourage more pubs to attract the Sassy, Wise and Grown Up, 35+ female market.  A group with cash to spend and according to research conducted by retailers, John Lewis, a passion for “me time”. 

Speaking about the initiative, director of recruitment and training for Pub Partners, Caroline Hollings said, “We’re trying to get pubs to really get behind offering the right things for these women.  Pubs often fail to accommodate women eating and drinking alone or out with other female friends. Typically pubs generally target mainly men, under 25’s and families and we need to redress the balance”.

Pub Partners asked fifty of their female licensees, at a recent Public Housewives away day, to assess what they offer at their pubs for the SWAG market and then got them to consider how they could attract these women away from the usual places they visit.  They were given advice on how to communicate with this key target audience with practical social media tips to help them achieve this.

Adding, Hollings said, “Our ladies really went to town, after all they should know what women want.  They’ll be introducing much larger wine glasses, glossy magazines, more flowers and toiletries alongside different menu options, drink and quality coffee offers and the facebook fan pages have really taken off.  It’s not rocket science but pubs really need to look at themselves with fresh eyes and see where they can tap into this very lucrative market”.

Greene King Pub Partners is communicating on a monthly basis to its “Public Housewives” in the leased and tenanted estate to help increase SWAGs in their pubs highlighting the ideas and best initiatives by the pubs involved in the campaign.

Trish McManus, licensee of the Hare Arms in Stow Bardolph set up a fan page for the pub on facebook and gained over 100 fans in the first week.  “I hadn’t realised how easy social networking was and it’s revolutionised the way I now market my pub and the events we hold, 61% of my fans are women so this really is the way to talk to them”.

Initial research of 1,000 women aged 35 to 45 conducted by High Street retailers John Lewis, identified the SWAG group as those most likely to spend time with their children and enjoy “me time” ahead of time with their partner.  The research found the group have experienced life and spend more on quality leisure time than that of other age groups.

ENDS

Press Contact: Elaine Beckett, Public Relations manager, Greene King Pub  Partners, Tel: 07974 132844

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By admin, 21/01/2010 2:19 pm

A spirited team of 21 cyclists from Greene King are to take part in a challenge of a lifetime and raise £63,000 for charity in the bargain.  The riders will be participating in Stage 3 of the Dallaglio Cycle Slam challenge, hosted by rugby legend Lawrence Dallaglio and in support of Sport Relief and the Dallaglio Foundation.

A spirited team of cyclists from Greene King

Stage 3 starts on 23 February and travels from Stade de France in Paris to Twickenham, clocking up 410 km in the process. Lawrence will begin the challenge himself on Friday 12^th  February in Rome, when he will depart on a gruelling 1,330 Km cycle up the West coast of Italy, and through to Paris where he will join the Greene King team for the third stage that takes him through to Twickenham. The Cycle Slam will then move on to Wales eventually covering all the Six Nations stadiums during the tournament. 

Speaking about the challenge, marketing manager for Greene King IPA (the official beer of England Rugby), Keith Ironside said, “This is a huge opportunity to achieve a great deal of fundraising for these amazing charities.  The whole team have been training throughout all the cold weather and are really getting prepared for this fantastic event and getting behind Lawrence, Sport Relief and the Dallaglio Foundation.  We’re looking for sponsorship and if anyone would like to help they can donate on www.justgiving.com/team-greene-king.  Everything will be gratefully accepted and appreciated”.

Lawrence Dallaglio Cycle Slam Challenge

Lawrence Dallaglio commented, “It’s brilliant to have the support of the team from Greene King.  It’s no doubt going to be hard work but the money we’ll raise will make a real and valuable difference to the charities we’re helping”.

The charities who’ll benefit from the fundraising are Cancer Research UK, Leukaemia Research, Debra, Help for Heroes, PRA Benevolent Fund and Sport Relief.  The event will be featured through the BBC Sport coverage of the RBS Six Nations and you can follow the riders on twitter and the official website: www.dallagliocycleslam.co.uk

Lawrence and his team of seven core cyclists will leave the Greene King team at Twickenham and go on to Cardiff and the Millennium Stadium   clocking up a total of just under 2,900 km in five weeks.

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Press Contact: Elaine Beckett, PR & Comms Manager, Greene King Pub Partners, Tel: 07974 132844

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By Matt Furnell, 15/01/2010 5:08 pm

Greene King said today that they were disappointed with developers, Farnswood, announcing publicly their proposed plans for the land on which the Portland Arms pub is located.  Greene King were in very early talks with the developer to try and understand the viability of their proposals.  No agreement had been reached on any proposal to sell the Portland or any new development.  Greene King has taken the decision to not continue with talks relating to the re-development of the area.

Speaking about the pub, David Elliott, managing director for Greene King Pub Partners said, “We have looked at the scheme put forward by the developers.  Having spoken to our licensees, Hayley and Steve and other interested parties, we have decided not to support this application at this current time.  The Portland Arms is a vibrant and valuable pub and will remain open for the foreseeable future”. 

“We’d like to thank everyone who has been in touch in relation to the Portland, both for and against the proposals.  It shows that, contrary to media interest, pubs are still very much in the hearts and minds of the British public”.

Hayley Yoxall and Steve Pellegrini, the licensees behind the success at the Portland added, “We’re relieved this has now been sorted out and we can get on with running our business at the pub”.

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By Matt Furnell, 12/01/2010 2:04 pm

Cask ale lovers can try their hand at brewing their very own beer with a new free App from Greene King’s Head Brewer’s Club and Pub Partners.  Choose a mix of hops, barley, water and yeast, shake it all about and create the perfect pint all on the iPhone or ipod Touch.

Ibrew Application developed for the Head Brewers Club

It also allows fans find a perfect pint too by helping them discover cask ale pubs certified as having excellent cask ale by Greene King’s quality team and Head Brewer, John Bexon.  All 336 Head Brewer’s Pub Partners pubs are featured and can be found with the iPhone map by name or county or connected with telephone link.

Speaking about the iBrew App, Commercial Manager for Greene King Pub Partners, Anthony McEvoy said, “This is a unique App allowing a bit of fun with its very own brewing game and providing pub lovers easy access to great cask ale pubs all over the country.  The pubs get better publicity than they would from just a standard website and customers can use the iPhone map system to direct themselves straight to the pub of their choice”.

Greene King’s Head Brewer’s Club is an initiative to promote brilliant cask ale pubs and the unique qualities they offer to customers up and down the country.  All pubs have been rigorously assessed for their consistent delivery of real ale.

Download the app here http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/ibrew/id347288864?mt=8

Pictured:  Images of the iBrew App screens

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Press Contact: Elaine Beckett, Public Relations Manager, Greene King Pub Partners, Tel: 07974 132844

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By Matt Furnell, 08/12/2009 2:13 pm

7 December 2009

Greene King plc today announces the retirement of David Elliott as Managing Director of Pub Partners, its tenanted pub division, and the appointment of Simon Longbottom as his successor.

After eleven years with Greene King and over 25 years in the industry, David Elliott, the current Managing Director of Pub Partners, has decided to retire. During his time at Pub Partners, David has overseen significant growth: from 620 to over 1,300 tenanted pubs and from £32 million of operating profit in 1998 to £71 million in 2008/9.  More recently, David and his team have been managing the division effectively through the current tough trading environment and delivering improved performance trends.

David will stay with Greene King until 31 January 2010 when he will also stand down from the Board.

Rooney Anand, Chief Executive of Greene King, commented:

“In the eleven years that he has been here, David has made a significant contribution to Pub Partners both in terms of growing profitability and the size and quality of the overall estate. 

“I would like to extend my sincere thanks and best wishes from everyone here at Greene King and wish him all the best for the future.”

Simon Longbottom (37), who will join the company on 1 February 2010, has spent his career working in the leisure industry.  He has particularly strong commercial and operations experience in the pub sector. 

He joins Greene King from Gala Coral Group where he was Managing Director of its Gaming Group.  Simon started his career at Bass Taverns and has since held senior positions at Mill House Inns and Mitchells & Butlers, with over 11 years experience in the pub sector.

Rooney Anand further commented:

“We are delighted that Simon Longbottom is joining the team at Greene King.  Simon has significant and highly relevant experience in the pub and leisure sectors, which will be invaluable to Pub Partners, particularly as we continue to take a leadership role in the adaptation and ongoing improvement of the tenanted pub model.”
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Enquiries:

Greene King plc Rooney Anand, Chief Executive Tel: 01284 763222
Financial Dynamics Ben Foster Tel: 020 7831 3113

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By Matt Furnell, 18/11/2009 2:56 pm

 The Port Mahon pub in Oxford has undergone a complete transformation by pub operators Joe Hill and Nick Bassett.  The duo, who already have the Fir Tree pub have used their experience to turn the Greene King pub around.

Speaking about their new venture, Nick said, “The Port Mahon is like two pubs rolled into one, the best of both worlds.  Sports fanatics can take advantage of the Sports bar with all the Sky features, whilst music lovers can enjoy the live entertainment in the traditional pub”.

Adding he said, “We wanted to bring the pub back to life.  It’s always had a reputation for good music but the pub needed some tlc and both Joe and I have given it that”.

Regional manager for Greene King, Robin Tidd said, “Nick and Joe know what they are doing and are just the right people to take this pub and make it work really well”.

Press Contact: Elaine Beckett, Public Relations Manager, Greene King Pub Partners

Tel: 07974 132844

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By Matt Furnell,

Selected for their successfully run businesses, Greene King female licensees were invited to be part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, the world-wide movement to highlight the crucial role that entrepreneurs and their ideas play in driving economic recovery and success in the UK and globally.

The all-female event, “Women mean Business 2009″ will take centre stage at Hanbury Manor, Ware on Thursday 19^th November. Guests will have the opportunity to network with fellow innovators and enjoy a fabulous day of inspirational development.

Speaking about the event, Caroline Hollings, director of recruitment and training for Greene King said, “This is a great way to bring like minded business women together to encourage new ideas and innovative ways to further build their pub businesses.  All too often the contribution women make to pub businesses is overlooked and this event will help recognise what value they do add as well as provide even more inspiration to them for the future – it’s all about making entrepreneurs even more entrepreneurial”.

Greene King, leaders in female enterprise with their successful Public Housewives campaign, tailored the event to their licensees, recognising the unique qualities women bring to their pubs.

FOR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT: ELAINE BECKETT, GREENE KING, 07974 132844

www.publichousewives.co.uk

View BBC Look East coverage here

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By Matt Furnell, 29/10/2009 11:51 am

Brulines Group plc

(“Brulines” or “the Group”)

Partnership with Greene King Pub Partners

Brulines Group plc (AIM:BRU), the market leading provider of real time monitoring systems and data management services for the UK leisure sector, is pleased to announce that it has secured a partnership with Greene King Pub Partners (“Greene King”) to supply the national tenanted pub operator with Brulines’ leading i-draught beer quality and dispense monitoring system.

The partnership with Greene King marks Brulines’ first major order for the i-draught system with the pub operator rolling out i-draught as their primary system in its estate, which numbers 1,400 pubs throughout the UK. Initially, 100 i-draught systems will be installed by the end of 2009, before a more extensive installation programme commences in Q1 2010.

The i-draught system offers pub licensees a vital tool to monitor the quality and yield of beer served. This provides valuable intelligence about their business helping them to improve beer quality and manage wastage and costs on all draught products.

James Dickson, Chief Executive of Brulines said: “It is a great endorsement of the i-draught system that an organisation of the scale and professionalism of Greene King has selected our product to be integrated across their pub estate. The roll out will enable us to work in partnership to tailor the system and ensure the data delivers exactly the information that Greene King and their licensees need to run even more efficiently and deliver enhanced quality.”

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By Matt Furnell,

Capitalising on the resurgence of cask beer, one of the country’s most loved beers, Abbot Ale, will be featured on the nation’s TV screens from the end of this week.

Abbot Ale will be sponsoring Friday nights on Dave (9pm – 11.40pm) and Dave Ja Vu (10pm – 12.40pm) as part of a brand campaign that reminds drinkers just how great Abbot is – at the same time as prompting enticing thoughts of excellent tale-telling and great laughs down at the pub.

The campaign, ‘Classic Tales from a Classic Ale’ features the mighty Brian Blessed in the famous Hawley Arms, Camden with a pint of Abbot, telling time-honoured jokes in his unique, larger-than-life way. A contagious and massive eruption of laughter completes each scene, sealing the association between the beer, the pub and having a terrific time.

The TV campaign raises the profile of Abbot in particular and cask beer in general, at a time when cask is already enjoying a renaissance, outperforming other draught beers and helping to draw people into the pub.

Fiona Hope, marketing director at Greene King Brewing Company, said: “Abbot is the most popular premium cask beer in London and among the top two nationwide. It is a real beer lover’s beer – a true classic that appeals to people of discerning tastes, people who will thoroughly appreciate Brian’s story-telling performance. The TV campaign will reach over a million 35-54 year old ABC1 men over 10 times. We have solid evidence of how this helps drive sales.”

Beer lovers will be able to obtain their own special glass Abbot tankard, like the one featured with Brian via a collector scheme in local pubs across the country.

The highly sought-after Abbot Ale Reserve will return in November and will be available until December. It will also be participating in the tankard promotion.

To find out more about stocking Abbot Ale or about the Tankard promotion, contact Greene King’s Customer Care Team on 0845 850 4545.

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By Matt Furnell, 20/10/2009 1:55 pm

This week saw the Lass O’Gowrie pub become the cream of Manchester’s pubs after winning Pub of the Year at the esteemed Manchester Food & Drinks awards 2009.  The award was handed to the pub, famous for its pies and pints, by the Hairy Bikers duo, Si and Dave.

Licensee of the 170-year-old traditional boozer, Gareth Kavanagh raised a glass to the recognition, “It’s fantastic news.  We may be small but it shows size isn’t everything, it’s what we do that counts and now I know the nine real ales on the bar and our famous home-made pies really do stand out from the crowd.  We’re all absolutely thrilled”.

Operations Director for Greene King, Andy Spencer said, “Gareth and his team really deserve this award.  They’re innovative and passionate about the business and this really shows when you go to the pub, it’s a real jewel in the crown”.

The bikers, who ditched their usual leathers for the occasion, said: “We dusted down the dinner suits and what a great night we had. It is wonderful to realise what a wealth of food treasure we have in the north west. The food festival has been one of the best – we can’t wait for next year.”