Greene King: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
Greene King Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is Ck Noble (Uk) Limited. In the year to January 2026 Greene King Limited reported turnover of £2,539m.
- In the year to January 2026, Greene King had turnover of £2,539m, up 3.6% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax loss of £23m, losing £0.92 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 38,881 people, with staff costs of £862m.
- Greene King Limited is controlled by Ck Noble (Uk) Limited, according to the Companies House register.
- These figures are from Greene King Limited's group accounts for the year to January 2026, filed at Companies House on 6 June 2026.
- Registered name
- GREENE KING LIMITED
- Company number
- 00024511
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 1 June 1887
- Registered office area
- Ipswich
- Industry code on the register
- 70100: Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities
- Accounts
- Group accounts, covering the companies it owns
- Accounts type
- Full group accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to January 2026, filed 6 June 2026
What does Greene King do?
Greene King is a pub company and brewer that runs pubs, restaurants and hotels across Britain. It makes money from food, drink and rooms in the pubs it manages, rent and beer supply from pubs run by tenants, and sales of its own beers such as Abbot Ale and Old Speckled Hen. Its pub brands include Hungry Horse and Farmhouse Inns. It was founded in Bury St Edmunds in 1799 and has been owned by CK Asset Holdings since 2019.
In brief: pubs and brewing · managed and tenanted pubs · Bury St Edmunds, 1799 · owned by CK Asset Holdings
Source: Spark Intel editorial, checked 24 September 2026. Official website: greeneking.co.uk.
Who owns Greene King?
The Companies House register records Ck Noble (Uk) Limited as the person with significant control of Greene King Limited, company number 00024511. Ck Noble (Uk) Limited is itself company number 12149330.
That places Greene King Limited inside a larger group. Its accounts are group accounts, covering the companies it owns as well.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Greene King?
The Companies House register lists 9 current officers for Greene King Limited.
All 9 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Lindsay Anne Keswick | 12 September 2003 |
| Richard Smothers | 1 February 2018 |
| Nicholas Stephen Mackenzie | 1 May 2019 |
| Lai Chee Gerald Ma | 30 October 2019 |
| Andrew John Hunter | 30 October 2019 |
| George Colin Magnus | 30 October 2019 |
| David Richard Dyson | 30 October 2019 |
| Peter William Macnab | 31 October 2019 |
| Jonathan Richard Fearn | 25 February 2025 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Greene King file?
Greene King Limited reported turnover of £2,539m in the year to January 2026. That was up 3.6% on £2,451m the year before.
It reported 38,881 employees. The year before it reported 40,588.
It filed a pre-tax loss of £23m for the year, against a pre-tax loss of £147m the year before.
Staff costs came to £862m. That is an average of £22,000 a head. It ended the year with £133m at the bank and net assets of £2,302m.
| Measure | Jan 2026 | Dec 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £2,539m | £2,451m |
| Pre-tax profit | -£23m (filed) | -£147m (filed) |
| Employees | 38,881 | 40,588 |
| Staff costs | £862m | £813m |
| Average staff cost per head | £22,000 | £20,000 |
| Bank and cash | £133m | £105m |
| Net assets | £2,302m | £2,334m |
| Interest paid | £124m | |
| Interest received | £7m | |
| Directors' pay | £3m |
Read the accounts to January 2026 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets · Group accounts
Are there any charges against Greene King?
Greene King Limited has registered 14 charges at Companies House, of which 7 are still outstanding. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
All 7 outstanding charges
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| Greene King Pension Scheme Limited as Trustee of the Greene King Pension Scheme | 20 September 2022 |
| Lloyds Bank PLC | 4 January 2022 |
| Hsbc Trustee (C.I.) Limited (and Its Successors in Title and Permitted Transferees) | 26 February 2019 |
| Hsbc Trustee (C.I.) Limited | 3 June 2016 |
| Hsbc Trustee (C.I.) Limited (as Gk Security Trustee) | 8 July 2008 |
| Hsbc Trustee (C.I.) Limited (as Gk Security Trustee) | 19 May 2006 |
| Hsbc Trustee (C.I.) Limited (as Gk Security Trustee) | 22 March 2005 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How Greene King compares
Of the 8 pub groups, Greene King is 2nd on turnover, 5th on profit margin and 6th on growth. Mitchells & Butlers keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £8.78.
| Rank | Pub groups | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Mitchells & Butlers | £2,711m | £8.78 |
| 2nd | Greene King | £2,539m | −£0.92 |
| + 6 more pub groups ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
Greene King files as Greene King Limited, whose person with significant control is Ck Noble (Uk) Limited, with turnover of £2,539m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Greene King
What does Greene King do?
Greene King is a pub company and brewer that runs pubs, restaurants and hotels across Britain. It makes money from food, drink and rooms in the pubs it manages, rent and beer supply from pubs run by tenants, and sales of its own beers such as Abbot Ale and Old Speckled Hen. Its pub brands include Hungry Horse and Farmhouse Inns. It was founded in Bury St Edmunds in 1799 and has been owned by CK Asset Holdings since 2019.
Is Greene King bigger than Wetherspoons?
Yes, by turnover. Greene King reported £2,539m in its latest accounts, against £2,238m at Wetherspoons. Our Greene King v Wetherspoons page compares the two on profit, margin, growth and staff. Greene King v Wetherspoons →
How does Greene King compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Greene King is 2nd of the 8 companies in our battle of the pub groups, behind Mitchells & Butlers. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the pub groups →
Who owns Greene King?
The Companies House register records Ck Noble (Uk) Limited as the person with significant control of Greene King Limited.
How much does Greene King make?
Greene King Limited reported turnover of £2,539m in the year to January 2026. It filed a pre-tax loss of £23m.
How many people work at Greene King?
Greene King Limited reported 38,881 employees in the year to January 2026.
Who runs Greene King?
The Companies House register lists 9 current officers for Greene King Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from Greene King Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 00024511, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are group accounts: they include the companies it owns.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Greene King: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 9 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/greene-king/. Figures from Companies House filings for GREENE KING LIMITED (00024511).
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