Greene King sells Old Speckled Hen beer brand to Spanish brewer
Old Speckled Hen is set to fall into Spanish hands as owner Greene King moves away from selling its beers in shops and supermarkets.
The beer brand, which dates from the late 1970s, will be bought by Damm, the owner of Spanish lager Estrella. Neither party disclosed the value of the sale.
The Old Speckled Hen brand accounts for half of Greene King’s off-trade revenue. Its sale marks part of a broader shift for the pub group as it doubles down on brewing beers for its pubs, rather than for supermarkets.
Damm said it had agreed to buy all the Old Speckled Hen lines, including its low-alcohol version. Once the deal is completed, Old Speckled Hen beers are expected to remain available in both Greene King pubs and on supermarket shelves.
During the transition, the beer will continue to be brewed at Greene King’s Westgate Brewery in Bury St Edmunds. It will then be moved to Damm’s brewery in Bedford, where it brews Estrella.
The 47-year-old beer will be sold to Estrella owner Damm as Greene King shifts its focus
Westgate will close and be replaced by a new facility in the centre of Bury St Edmunds, which is on track to be completed next year. The sale is expected to have an impact on jobs, but a number has not been specified.
Nick Mackenzie, chief executive of Greene King, said the pub chain was ‘delighted to have secured a partner in Estrella Damm who will continue to brew the ales in the UK.’
The 47-year-old British brand was bought by Greene King from Oxfordshire-based Morland Brewery in 1999.
The sale makes Old Speckled Hen the latest iconic British beer brand to be sold to foreign owners. In 2015, Camden Town Brewery agreed to a takeover by AB InBev, the Belgian company behind Beck’s, Budweiser and Stella Artois.
In 2019, pub chain Fuller’s sold its entire drinks business to Japan’s Asahi, including its London Pride ale.
This year, the Cornish brewery behind Doom Bar was shut by its US owners Molson Coors, putting 200 jobs at risk.
Molson Coors, which bought the Doom Bar brewery 15 years ago, insisted it ‘remains committed’ to the Sharp’s brands and was looking at possible production tie-ups.
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