UK brewer Greene King extends pub empire with $1.167bn takeover
UK brewer Greene King has agreed a £723m ($1.167bn) takeover of rival branded pub operator Spirit. The new conglomerate will own 3,000+ pubs nationwide, and Greene King (which brews well-known ales including IPA and Abbot) is expected to seeds its beers through the new outlets.
The deal also means that the enlarged company owns the most pubs (450) within the all-important M25 corridor – the motorway surrounding London is a natural barrier and business is better within it – compared with Fuller’s (brewer of London Pride, ESB), which owns around 400 and Young’s (Young’s Bitter, Young’s London Gold) with just over 200.
Photo: Greene King brewery in Bury St. Edmonds, England
