Greene King opens 'milestone' 40th Hive Pub
The Britannia pub in Bradwell, Stoke-on-Trent, which was previously a Greene King managed site, reopened following a £400,000 investment from the pub operator and brewer.
Greene King Pub Partners managing director Dan Robinson said: “We are delighted to hit yet another significant milestone in the rollout of Hive Pubs and our pub franchise offer.
Strength-to-strength
“Hive Pubs continues to go from strength-to-strength and we intend to keep this momentum up heading into 2024.”
The “milestone” opening comes less than two years after Greene King Pub Partners opened its first Hive Pub concept, The Malden Grey in Sudbury, Suffolk.
Other recent Hive Pub openings and investments include The Ainsty in York, The Good Companions in Reading and the Nelson Hotel in Wallasey, totalling £1.5m in investment costs when combined.
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 sites, including the development of a “simplified” menu.
Overwhelming focus
A Hive Pubs franchise agreement offers licensees a ready-to-trade pub for just £5,000 ingoing cost with a minimum guaranteed annual income of £20,000.
Franchisees also receive a percentage of food and drink sales, a share of the profits in their pub and can earn a bonus on top of this as well.
Last month, the Suffolk-based operator also announced it had invested £1.6m to bring modern technology and historic values together to reopen the The Axe & Compasses in Arkesden in Essex, after a fire destroyed it more than a year and half earlier.
Robinson added: “Our overwhelming focus as a business remains our core leased and tenanted estate, but we are excited for where we can take Hive Pubs even further.”
