Greene King, founded in 1799 and based in Bury St Edmunds, has been growing strongly for two decades. It operates 2,429 pubs and restaurants across Britain, including the well-known Loch Fyne chain and pub brands Hungry Horse and Eating Inn. It also brews IPA, Abbot, Old Speckled Hen and Belhaven Best, the No.1 ale brand in Scotland.
Bury St Edmunds has always been and continues to be the home of Greene King. This historic town takes its name from St Edmund the martyr, the only king of England to be confirmed as a saint. His distinctive crest of a crown crossed by two arrows is now used by Greene King as an authentic symbol of its provenance.
The task was to unify Greene King under one brand, one that reflected the key positioning of ‘Authentic Hospitality’.
Hong Kong’s richest family, Ka-shing, is to buy Greene King for £2.7bn, the equivalent of £1m for every one of its 2,700 pubs, restaurants and hotels. The deal will see CKA capitalise on a surge in the popularity of the brewer’s flagship beer Greene King IPA in mainland China. Sales soared there after President Xi Jinping was pictured drinking a pint of the brew with then prime minister David Cameron during a state visit in 2015.