UK: Greene King Brewery extending to London by regional pub takeover offer

The Greene King Brewery, one of the largest British owned breweries in the UK, is extending its grip on London by announcing a cash offer for The Capital Pub Company, Fresh Business Thinking reported on July, 19.

Greene King has grown exponentially over the past decade, aided by a series of aggressive takeovers of regional breweries and pubs for which the Bury St Edmunds’ company has attracted criticism.

The £93million bid, which Greene King hopes will made the business ‘best pub retailer and brewer in the UK’, will add 34 sites across the capital, bringing its total to near 250 pubs across London.

Aside from criticism for their acquisition of smaller breweries followed by the discontinuation of many smaller, local beers, Greene King have also been praised by real ale lovers, who credit the East Anglian pub giant with a resurgence in popularity in the iconic British Ale.

20 July, 2011