Hive Pubs by Greene King

About Hive Pubs by Greene King

Hive Pubs by Greene King was founded in 2021 as the brewer and retailer’s new franchise concept. The branded community pub model was launched through its tenanted and leased arm, Pub Partners. The first Hive pub, The Maldon Grey in Sudbury, opened in November 2021 and has since grown to more than 60. Greene King has ambitions to grow the franchise estate to 100 sites over the next three years, and then 170 in the next five.

Upon launching the model, Greene King Pub Partners managing director Wayne Shurvinton said: “We’ve created an exciting partnership where the franchisee can bring their individual know-how of the local community to a branded pub concept and deliver the best local experience. This is a new format where the franchisee gets an invested ready-to-go pub with a lower risk from inception and going forward. It’s a model where we want our franchisees to feel part of something bigger, with the collaborative relationship with our talented team supporting them and backed by the scale of Greene King.”

In July 2022, Greene King appointed Penny Baldwin, former head of commercial for Greene King’s Metropolitan Pub Company, to the newly created position of franchise operations director, and in April 2023, Nick Mackenzie, chief executive of Greene King, told Propel: “We were quite slow to get to franchise and managed operator. We’ll look to have probably about 50 in our estate by the end of this year, and those conversions are going well.”

In July 2023, Greene King said it had developed and launched a new food offer for its Hive pubs brand, which had led to an increase in like-for-like sales and spend per head, and in February 2024, Propel revealed that Greene King is set to launch a second franchise concept, Nest Pubs, which will be wet-led pubs predominantly located on busy high streets and in communities.

The company said: “As wet-led pubs with a smaller food offer than Hive Pubs, Nest Pubs franchisees will only need a small team to operate their business. A Nest Pubs franchisee will be able to get the keys to their own Nest Pub for £3,000, including agreement fees, inductions and on-site training. Like with Hive Pubs, Nest Pubs franchisees will earn through a percentage of food and drink sales. On top of this, they get a share of the profits in their pub and will earn bonuses based on performance in key areas such as operational excellence.”

Dan Robinson, managing director of Greene King Pub Partners, said: “We are delighted to continue the growth and success of our franchise offer with the development of Nest Pubs. Alongside this, we’ll continue to grow our successful Hive Pubs franchise concept with more openings.”

In April 2024, Greene King opened its 50th Hive pub, The Robert Kett in Wymondham, Norfolk, and the following month, it added two more Nest pubs. In February 2025, Greene King said it is set to bring its Hive and Nest franchise pub formats to Scotland for the first time. Both formats will be rolled out in Scotland under the umbrella of Belhaven Pub Partners, building on their successes in England, where Greene King currently operates more than 70 franchise pubs (including ten Nests). Belhaven Pub Partners opened its first franchise pub in Scotland the following month, with plans for more openings across the country.

In May 2025, Mackenzie said: “I think there is a real opportunity for Hive and Nest to continue to scale, and the team are very focused on that. But we want to make sure when we do them, we do them right, and we have the right partners. We have the right infrastructure in place to do that, and the model we use for those has to work both for us and the franchisee, and we’re continually working on that relationship.”

In February 2026, Greene King is set to open 30 franchise sites in 2026, including its first in Wales, as it revealed it has reached the milestone of 100 pubs under the model, and in June 2026, it opened its 30th Nest pub and first franchise site in Wales - The Clive in Cardiff.

Why franchise with Hive Pubs by Greene King

• ✓The model is aimed at experienced pub managers looking to run their own business for the first time. Total investment is £7,000, with £5,000 in going costs and £2,000 for working capital. There is a guaranteed annual income of £20,000 management fee per year, plus a percentage of weekly turnover (typically 20% wet sales and 35% food sales). They can also earn bonuses of £7,500 per year based on business performance and standards audits.
• ✓Full training provided and franchise agreements are for five years, with multi-site agreements possible. Greene King is responsible for repairs and most running costs, with no rent payable. It supplies all products to the franchisee and takes liability for the property and pays all running costs including stock and supplies, marketing, training and ongoing support.
• ✓The franchisee only pays staffing costs, insurance, TV licence and council tax (for upstairs accommodation). Each Hive pub is receiving an internal and external investment up to £300,000, incorporating the “best-in-class systems and processes to enable the delivery of a consistent and superior level of service”.
• ✓Recruitment manager, Chris Thorogood, said: “If you have dreamed of operating your own pub retail business, our Pub Franchise Agreement (Hive) is a low-cost way to achieve your ambition. This agreement provides you with a pub that’s ready to trade, with all food and drink supplied. We take care of all marketing and promotions and install smart till systems so you can understand how the business is performing. We even cover the majority of the bills. As everything has been set up, you can concentrate on growing your business and serving customers.”