Greene King Hits 40 Hive Pubs Milestone  

Greene King Pub Partners, the leased, tenanted and franchise division of Greene King, has opened its 40th Hive Pub – another significant milestone in the rollout of its pub franchise offer.

The Britannia in Porthill, Stoke-on-Trent, has re-opened as a Hive Pub after a £400,000 investment by Greene King.

The site, which was previously a Greene King managed pub, has been transformed to deliver the Hive Pubs concept.

Other Hive Pub openings and investments recently that have helped Greene King to reach the 40 Hive Pubs milestone include the openings of The Ainsty in York, The Good Companions in Reading and the Nelson Hotel in Wallasey. Combined, these three recent Hive Pub investments total over £1,300,000.

The milestone 40th Hive Pub opening comes less than two years after Greene King Pub Partners opened its very first Hive Pub concept, The Malden Grey in Sudbury, Suffolk.

Since then, the Hive Pubs franchise concept and agreement has evolved in line with its expansion.

Earlier this year, Greene King Pub Partners announced the enhancement of the Hive Pubs concept with a set of new menus and special offers tailored to the needs of different Hive Pubs and the customers they serve.

This includes the development of a “core” menu, a “simplified” menu and an “enhanced” menu enabling franchisees to tailor their food offer based on the needs of the community they serve.

Likewise, a series of signature dishes exclusively available in Hive Pubs were also introduced that all feature “Hot Honey”, as well as Hive Pubs specific offers such as Pizza and Moretti Wednesdays and a steak dinner for two offer on Thursdays.

A Hive Pubs franchise agreement offers licensees a ready-to-trade pub within a proven branded concept for just £5,000 ingoing cost. Franchisees can expect a minimum guaranteed income of £20,000 and they also get a percentage of food and drink sales. On top of this, they get a share of the profits in their pub and can earn a bonus as well.

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

“We are delighted to hit yet another significant milestone in the rollout of Hive Pubs and our pub franchise offer.

“Hive Pubs continues to go from strength-to-strength and we intend to keep this momentum up heading into 2024. Our overwhelming focus as a business remains our core leased & tenanted estate, but we are excited for where we can take Hive Pubs even further.”