Greene King is closing its 200-year-old brewery in Bury St Edmunds in plans to move to a new £40million site that will produce more craft beers

Greene King will close its 200-year-old brewery in Bury St Edmunds and open a new £40million facility in its place as part of an ambitious bid to 'modernise' and invest in the future of British brewing.

The brewer known for Abbot Ale and Old Speckled Hen, as well as its national chain of some 2,700 gastropubs, was born in the historic Suffolk market town in 1799 but sold to Hong Kong's richest family in 2019 for a whopping £2.7billion.

The company says its new facility represents a 'major commitment' to the 'future of British brewing', evolving with the times while staying true to its 220 year history.

'This investment represents a further and significant ongoing commitment to our brewing operations in a town which has such a rich and storied connection with our business and with brewing,' said Nick Mackenzie, CEO at Greene King.

'As we seek to make our operations more sustainable, our new brewery will future proof our ability to brew our much-loved brands, as we create a thriving modern hospitality business.'

Greene King expects the new hub will be completed by 2027, and assured that operations would continue at the existing Westgate brewery until then. 

Under the new plans, most of Greene King's brewing operations will transfer to the £40mn facility, next to its new distribution centre.

The company did not specify if or how jobs might be affected by the move.

The move received support from local officials, Jo Churchill, MP for Bury St Edmunds commenting: 'Greene King is at the heart of our Bury St Edmunds community, and has been for more than two centuries. 

'Building a modern, more sustainable brewery that looks to the future will bring many benefits. 

'It is brilliant to see the company commit to the future of its operations in the town and surrounding areas, supporting hundreds of jobs and maintaining the town's heritage as a pillar of British brewing.'

Councillor Cliff Waterman, Leader of West Suffolk Council, added: 'Greene King has been an integral part of Bury St. Edmunds for more than 200 years, and it is fantastic to see their continued commitment to the town through the proposal for a state-of-the-art new brewery that will future proof their brewing operations for many years to come.' 

With a brand new facility, Greene King claims it will be able to cut water usage in the brewing process by more than 50 per cent.

They say it comes as part of a wider plan to reach net zero by 2040, and halve emissions by 2030.

Earlier this month the company celebrated winning the 'Best Sustainable Pub Company' at the 2024 Publican Awards, dubbed the industry's 'Oscars'. 

Greene King has taken ambitious strides forward since its acquisition into a global business empire under 'Hong Kong's richest man', 95-year-old Li Ka-shing.

His conglomerate, Cheung Kong Holdings, merged with Hutchinson Whampoa to become CK Hutchison Holdings in 2015, with significant stakes in massive infrastructure projects worldwide.

Ka-shing remains a senior advisor at the firm, reportedly worth more than $37billion USD.

CK Hutchison Group Telecom also operates 3 in the United Kingdom, and Superdrug among other top global retail brands.

Li Ka-shing also presides over one of the biggest private foundations in the world, paying out charity donations of some £3.8bn USD.

Having ridden out the pandemic, Greene King today employees some 39,000 people across its thousands of locations nationwide.

'We have been brewing in Bury St Edmunds for over 200 years,' said Matt Starbuck, managing director Brewing & Brands at Greene King.

'We are passionate about our craft and the development of this state-of-the-art facility will allow us to maintain brewing at the core of our business going forwards.

'We are excited by the opportunity that this affords and the chance to invest in innovation and the development of our world-class beer portfolio.” 

Greene King's new hub will be built next to its multi-million-pound distribution centre, proposed only last year.

They said at the time the location meant no jobs would be put at risk by the transfer.

It was reported last year 'hundreds' of people worked for the company in its ancestral home of Bury.

The company also invested 'over £9 million' in its historic Belhaven Brewery in Dunbar, billing the uplift 'as further evidence of its commitment to brewing in the UK'.

MailOnline contacted Greene King for comment.