Magic touch: Greene King appoints Merlin exec as new boss January 15, 2019 Brewer Greene King said today that Nick Mackenzie would join as new chief executive in May from Madame Tussauds-owner Merlin Entertainments. Mackenzie will replace Rooney Anand in the top job and join Greene King’s board on 1 May. At Merlin he is a member of the executive committee and is responsible for the Midway portfolio [...]
Mark Kleinman’s big predictions for the Square Mile in 2019 January 11, 2019 Sir Martin Sorrell’s WPP exit, Unilever’s HQ U-turn, Melrose’s swoop for GKN: 2018 was a year full of surprises in the City. And while forecasting might be a fool’s errand, here are 10 predictions for the year ahead. •Theresa May will decisively lose next week’s “meaningful vote” on Brexit: that’s not a punt that will [...]
Greene King toasts record Christmas trading amid cost-cutting plans January 8, 2019 Pub chain Greene King today recorded strong sales growth over Christmas and the New Year as it cashed in on festive drinking. Greene King said like-for-sale sales over the last two weeks rose 10.9 per cent, while Christmas day sales hit a record £7.7m. The chain, which operates almost 3,000 pubs, restaurants and hotels across [...]
Bottoms up: Greene King heralds heatwave as profits and revenue grow in World Cup year November 29, 2018 Shares in pub owner Greene King ticked up in early morning trading as investors welcomed growing like-for-like sales in its pubs across the UK after a sweltering summer saw drink sales swell. The figures Statutory profit before tax grew 3.2 per cent to £127.7m in the pub chain’s half-year results, compared to the same six [...]
Investors on the look-out for sales and dividend ahead of Greene King results November 25, 2018 The City will be looking to see whether Greene King can maintain its dividend this week, with interim results set to reveal whether the pub and brewing giant has been able to carry its bumper summer spell of higher sales into the autumn trading period. Analysts have forecasted that full-year sales will reach £2.17bn in [...]
Greene King boss to step down after 14 years in charge of brewer November 6, 2018 The chief executive of Greene King, Rooney Anand, is set to leave his role at the end of the financial year after 14 years in the job, the company announced today. Anand, who has led the pub chain and brewer since 2005, will step down in April 2019. Greene King said it has already begun the [...]
Spirit in the sky: City Pub Group sees profits jump after bumper World Cup summer September 20, 2018 Aim-listed pub landlord City Pub Group has posted a 73 per cent rise in pre-tax profit on the back of a bumper summer of good weather and a successful World Cup run. Profits before tax rose to £1.6m in the first six months of 2018, rising from £0.9m compared with the same period last year, [...]
Not what the doctor ordered: Spire suffers profit hit amid drop in NHS referrals September 18, 2018 UK private healthcare provider Spire was diagnosed with falling profits in the first six months of 2018, as a drop in referrals from the NHS ate away at the company’s projected core earnings. Spire Healthcare Group’s share price tumbled more than six per cent in early morning trading, after the firm predicted full-year expected earnings [...]
Greene King strikes £50m deal with Scottish Widows to cover pension liabilities September 17, 2018 Pub chain Greene King today announced it had struck a £50m deal with Scottish Widows to cover some of its pension liabilities. The company's first so called bulk annuity transfer will see Scottish Widows cover Greene King's responsibilities to pensioners in its final salary Spirit Pension Scheme. There may also be future moves to secure further annuities in [...]
Spirits in the sky: JD Wetherspoon axes Jägermeister and French brandy in post-Brexit plan September 12, 2018 JD Wetherspoon is ditching European spirits such as Jägermeister for non-EU equivalents in a bid to lower prices across its 880 UK pubs. Replacing the ousted continental brands, which also include French brandies Courvoisier VS and Hennessy Fine de Cognac, will be US drink E&J Brandy, Australia’s Black Bottle and Strika, a herbal liqueur produced [...]