Greene King merger with Hardys & Hansons given go ahead by OFT

Pub company Greene King’s £271m merger with Midland’s brewer Hardys & Hansons (H&H) has been green-lighted by the Office of Fair Trade.

Greene King revealed its intentions to take over its smaller rival last month. 

H&H has 268 pubs, of which 83 are managed and 185 tenanted. The majority of the pubs are freehold and located in the East Midlands.

Its beer brands include Olde Trip and Hardys & Hansons bitter. The fate of H&H’s Kimberley brewery in Nottingham is not yet known, although consumer group the Campaign For Real Ale fears closure.

In a separate incident relating to 2004’s acquisition of Laurel’s neighbourhood pub estate, Greene King has been found to have breached an agreement with the OFT that should have seen it sell a handful of pubs in the Oxfordshire area.

An enforcement order has now been served by the OFT forcing Greene King to sell the sole outstanding pub from the agreement within the next three months.

Greene King focuses on its food offer to balance smoking bans >>

By Chris Druce

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