Greene King launches seventh Hive Pubs site after £400k revamp

The Orb & Sceptre, previously known as the Deer’s Leap, will be run by new franchisees Alan and Sam Brookes. The venue has been transformed with a modern look and feel, in line with the Hive Pubs brand. 

The outside of the pub has been refurbished with ‘beach huts’, and a large space for customers to eat and drink in. The pub will offer a range of food in line with the Hive Pubs concept, including pub classics paired with desserts. 

Running a great pub business 

For Alan and Sam Brookes, the Orb & Sceptre franchisees, going down the franchise route was the “obvious choice”. They said: “Greene King has provided a fully invested and revamped pub with a proven concept, but we haven’t had to pay the high costs associated with such an investment.  

“It greatly reduces risk for us as entrepreneurs and means we can focus on running and growing a great pub business.” 

The site will also serve a variety of drinks, from standard and premium lagers, to ciders, stouts and ales, plus a number of craft beers. There will also be spirits, wines, soft drinks and alcohol-free options on the menu. 

Sport will play a key part of the offer at the Orb & Sceptre, so the pub has Sky Sports and BT Sport subscriptions to show major sporting events. It also has a pool table and dartboards, including a smart dartboard. 

Growing Hive Pubs

The pub will also run live gig nights and karaoke sessions. 

Aimed at those with experience of running a pub, the Hive Pub franchise agreement gives licensees a ready-to-trade pub within a proven branded concept for £5,000, ingoing cost and a minimum guaranteed income of £20,000 plus additional income based on performance such as share of turnover. 

Greene King Pub Partners managing director Wayne Shurvinton said the company looked forward to continuing the rollout of its Hive Pubs franchise concept, with more openings in the pipeline.