Greene King Pub Partners, the leased, tenanted and franchise division of Greene King, has opened its 36th Hive Pub.
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.
The new pub has been given its name to commemorate the Great North Road which the pub sits upon, which was the main road and thoroughfare in Wideopen dating back to when Coaches and Horses were the primary mode of transport.
As part of its transformation to a Hive Pub, The Coach & horses has been overhauled both inside and out – expanding and upgrading its space and facilities for local pub goers.
Inside, the pub has been overhauled with new lighting, furniture, decorations, flooring and more to create the modern look and feel of a Hive Pub.
Outside, the garden at the pub has also been transformed with beautiful outdoor garden furniture and a covered terrace for all-year round use of the pub’s beer garden.
The pub will be operated by franchisees Lindsay and Chris, who are brother and sister as well as local to the area. Together, the pair have 47 years’ experience of managing and running pubs and other hospitality businesses.
As a Hive Pub, the Coach & Horses will provide everything a pub goer could want from their local under one roof. This includes a great range of beers and other drinks, an extensive range of food and a regular programme of live entertainment plus Sky Sports and BT Sport subscriptions to show all major sporting events.
The beer on offer at the pub ranges from standard and premium lagers, to ciders, stouts and ales – plus a number of craft beers for those looking for something extra special. The pub will also serve a range of spirits, wines, soft drinks and alcohol-free options.
The food offer at the pub will include traditional pub classics such as Fish & Chips, Burgers and Pies, as well as sharers and tapas style plates. The pub will have regular offers on including a 2-4-1 Burger Night, Steak and Wine Night, plus Pizza’s and more.
Aimed at those with experience of running a pub, the Hive Pubs franchise agreement gives licensees a ready to trade pub within a proven branded concept for just £5,000 ingoing cost. Franchisees get a minimum guaranteed income of £20,000 which is paid weekly. They also get a percentage of food and drink sales. In addition, they get a share of the profits in their pub and can earn a bonus on top of this.
Hive Pubs recently won “Best New Concept” at the Foodservice Equipment Journal 2022 Awards and Greene King was recently accredited for its franchise pub offer by the British Franchise Association.
Chris and Lindsay, Franchisees of The Coach & Horses, said:
“We cannot wait to open and welcome everyone into our new pub – it really is a dream come true.
“Greene King’s investment in The Coach & Horses has transformed the pub beyond recognition. We chose the new name for the pub ourselves as we wanted to show it is a new pub with a fresh start.
“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.”
Penny Baldwin, Operations Director for Greene King Pub Partners, said:
“I am delighted with our £700,000 investment in The Coach & Horses, which is our 36th Hive Pub to date. I am really excited to see how Chris and Lindsay grow their pub franchise business in the years to come.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
Please see attached for photos of The Coach & Horses. Chris and Lindsay are the individuals in the photos attached.
Press Contact: Nick Lawrie Email: NickLawrie@greeneking.co.uk Tel: 07812 256245
About Greene King:
Greene King is the country’s leading pub company and brewer with c.2,600 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland.
At Greene King we are passionate about delivering our purpose to ‘pour happiness into lives’. That’s for our customers, our team, our pub partners, our suppliers and the communities in which we live, operate and serve. Founded in 1799 with offices in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk and Burton on Trent in Staffordshire we employ around 39,000 people across the group with four divisions: Greene King pubs, Destination Brands, Partnership and Ventures, and Brewing & Brands.
- Greene King pubs are located where people and communities come together; pubs enjoyed in cities, towns and villages throughout the country
- Destination Brands is a mixture of food and drink-led brands including Hungry Horse, Farmhouse Inns, Chef & Brewer, Wacky Warehouse, and Pub & Carvery, Pub & Dining and Pub & Grill
- Partnerships & Ventures includes Pub Partners, which runs our tenanted and leased pubs business and Hive Franchise pubs, and our Ventures Brands which is made up of Metropolitan Pub Company, Hickory’s, Hotels Group and Crafted Pubs
Brewing & Brands covers the brewing sides of the business. Quality ales are brewed at the Westgate brewery in Bury St Edmunds and the Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar. Our industry-leading portfolio includes Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale, Ice Breaker and Belhaven Best and our premium beers, Level Head and Flint Eye, brewed for the modern-day drinker.
About Greene King Pub Partners:
Greene King Pub Partners operates over 1000 leased, tenanted and franchise pubs across England, Scotland and Wales with independent business partners. In March 2023 it was recognised as the best leased and tenanted pub company at the Publican Awards, the 6th time Greene King Pub Partners has won the national industry award.
Press Contact: Nick Lawrie Email: NickLawrie@greeneking.co.uk Tel: 07812 256245
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