Greene King nears 40 Hive Pub sites

Greene King Pub Partners has opened its 36th Hive Pub, the franchise model that offers licensees a ready-to-trade site for an ingoing cost of £5,000.

The Coach & Horses in Wideopen, Tyne and Wear, which was previously known as The Traveller’s Rest, has reopened as a Hive Pub after a £700,000 investment. 

Inside, the pub has been overhauled with new lighting, furniture, decorations, flooring and more to create a modern look and feel.

Outside, the garden at the pub has also been transformed through furniture and a covered terrace for all-year round use of the pub’s beer garden.

Sibling set-up

The pub will be operated by local franchisees Lindsay and Chris (pictured), who are brother and sister. Together, the pair have 47 years of experience of managing and running pubs and other hospitality businesses.

As a Hive Pub, the Coach & Horses will feature a regular programme of live entertainment, plus Sky Sports and TNT Sports subscriptions to show all major sporting events.

"We cannot wait to open and welcome everyone into our new pub – it really is a dream come true," say the siblings. "As a Hive Pub, we are going to offer a great range of drinks and food, combined with a regular drumbeat of entertainment and events for the local community to enjoy."

Aimed at those with experience of running a pub, the Hive Pubs franchise agreement gives licensees a ready-to-trade pub within a branded concept for a £5,000 ingoing cost. Franchisees get a minimum guaranteed income of £20,000, which is paid weekly, as well as a percentage of food and drink sales. In addition, they get a share of the profits and can earn a bonus.

“I am delighted with our £700,000 investment in The Coach & Horses, which is our 36th Hive Pub to date," says Penny Baldwin, operations director for Greene King Pub Partners. "I am really excited to see how Chris and Lindsay grow their pub franchise business in the years to come."

Hive Pubs was recently nominated for Pub Brand of the Year at the National Pub & Bar Awards, but narrowly lost out to Oakman Group's Beech House.

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