Summary Greene King, the UK’s leading pub retailer and brewer, replaces ageing property management system with a modern real estate solution; providing one version of the truth, consolidated leasehold management processes, improved data quality, and enhanced access for stakeholders. About Greene King Founded in 1799, Greene King plc is the UK’s leading pub retailer and brewer, operating an extensive network of 2,700 pubs, restaurants, and hotels. Over the centuries, the company has built a rich heritage, combining traditional brewing techniques with innovative practices to produce award-winning beers. A Diverse and Historic Portfolio The Greene King property portfolio is a large and diverse collection of assets, comprising not only their array of national pubs, but also approximately 1,500 other, non-pub properties. These include pieces of land, commercial buildings, residential properties, a small lake, and even a cave. A notable example of Greene King’s unique assets is the Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem in Nottingham, reputed to be the oldest pub in England. This historic location is connected to a small cave system that is owned by Greene King, highlighting the unusual and varied nature of their property holdings. The company also manages thousands of subleases for tenants and partners, as well as head leases where Greene King works with multiple different landlords. The Challenge Managing such an extensive property portfolio requires a flexible and efficient real estate management solution capable of handling complex data and processes. However, Greene King’s current 20-year-old system had become a significant IT issue, proving unfit for the needs of a company that had doubled in size through acquisitions and mergers. The legacy system provided poor visibility of data and lacked adequate reporting functionality, which hindered efficient data management (lease options, renewals, expirations, key clauses, amendments…), and asset optimization. “Updating data was a cumbersome process, requiring individual record modifications rather than allowing for bulk updates or batch processing,” said Nelli Gal-Szabo, Head of Portfolio Planning. “This inefficiency was made worse by our system’s lack of security measures, which involved downloading information and manually applying security protocols before data could be accessed or shared. The pressing need to upgrade to a modern, supported platform was not a matter of choice but a necessity”. The Solution The journey to replace Greene King’s legacy system began with a thorough evaluation process involving five potential solution providers. From the outset, Nuvolo Connected Workplace, built on ServiceNow™, stood out as the ideal choice, scoring highly for its database architecture, front-end functionality, integration features, workflows, and reporting tools. Since Greene King were already using ServiceNow™ as their ITSM solution, they would also benefit from real estate, IT and HR all on one platform. “We preferred Nuvolo as it provided the functionality of an off-the-shelf product designed specifically for the unique demands of real estate management, coupled with the flexibility to adapt to our processes and ensure we remain agile to market shifts,” explained Gal-Szabo. “In addition, as a solution natively built on the ServiceNow™ platform we knew we would benefit from a tried and tested database structure, the ability to easily integrate with existing systems, and stringent security features.” Greene King selected Nuvolo Connected Workplace to streamline and control their: Property Management: By centralizing detailed information about over 2,700 pubs and circa 1,500 non-pub assets, including their types, operational structure, opening hours, online presence, demographic data, and the acquisition and disposal process. This improves data consistency, operational efficiency, customer experience, and business performance. Real Estate Management: By controlling lease contracts, payments, charges, escalations, renewals, schedules, and other essential tasks. This helps to meet critical date deadlines, ensure timely renewals and payments, and avoid financial penalties. License Management: By managing government-issued licenses, detailing the products authorized to be served. This is vital for maintaining legal compliance, avoiding the risk of costly fines, and safeguarding the company’s reputation and operational integrity. Implementation Greene King implemented Nuvolo Connected Workplace following a highly collaborative and detailed process. “Nuvolo’s dedication to understanding our specific language, workflows, and unique business requirements was particularly appreciated”, said Gal-Szabo. “The team not only accommodated these needs but also provided valuable insights on how to flexibly modify and optimize different parts of the system. One of the standout aspects of the implementation was Nuvolo’s effort to integrate seamlessly with our own staff, effectively becoming an extension of our team. Their willingness to invest time and effort to truly collaborate with us was instrumental in the success of the project.” As a result, Greene King learnt that the scope of data and processes they needed to revisit was far greater than they initially anticipated. The sheer volume and variety of data required a deeper dive into their operations. This detailed analysis, although challenging, was crucial for the successful development and configuration of the system. Gal-Szabo added, “For any company considering a similar implementation, my advice would be to start by thoroughly understanding and defining your current system and requirements. Spending ample time on this initial phase can significantly aid the implementation team in asking the right questions and making informed decisions.” Centralized Data and Process Management For Greene King, modern real estate management is anchored in the principle of having one version of the truth. “Before implementing Nuvolo Connected Workplace, we faced challenges with an outdated system and inconsistent data held in separate Excel tables, leading to contradictions and inefficiencies,” said Gal-Szabo. “Today, Nuvolo has fundamentally transformed our approach to data management, becoming an indispensable component of our operations.” With Nuvolo, Greene King now store all their real estate documents—leases, contracts, agreements, and other critical documents—in a centralized location. This single source of truth provides quick and easy access to essential information. A centralized system should not just be a data depository; it should also facilitate collaboration and help drive transformation. Greene King recognized this and took the opportunity to review and embed their business processes, such as payments and rent charges, into Nuvolo. One key change was integrating property-related approvals. Previously, approvals for new acquisitions were handled outside their old system, relying on emails and conversations. Nuvolo now enables Greene King to circulate the correct documents and data needed for the Acquisition Managers, Asset Optimization team, and Estate Managers during different stages to make informed decisions throughout the transaction process. Another benefit of having key information and processes stored, managed, and accessed from a single platform is risk limitation. “The system’s structured approach and role-based access provides us with a more reliable and secure operational framework,” said Gal-Szabo. “Nuvolo significantly reduces the risks associated with human error and lost knowledge when an employee unexpectedly leaves the business.” Critical Date Management Before Nuvolo, Greene King lacked the ability to efficiently track critical dates such as lease expiries, notice periods, rent reviews, and break clauses. The old system could not provide automated notifications, leading to a reliance on manual processes and external tools like Excel and Outlook reminders. According to Gal-Szabo this was just not acceptable. Nuvolo’s property lifecycle workflows and custom scheduling features have transformed this aspect of operations, ensuring timely reminders and streamlined management of important dates and milestones. This automated approach has greatly improved Greene King’s visibility and overall efficiency in handling lease agreements and other time-sensitive processes. Reporting The limitations Greene King’s legacy system severely hindered the ability to generate comprehensive reports. With Nuvolo, the company can now create detailed reports on any data point, meeting their top requirement for extensive reporting functionality. The integration with other business systems has further enhanced efficiency, allowing for more extensive report generation. This capability supports better decision-making and provides valuable insights across various levels of the organization. Furthermore, Greene King now benefits from enhanced auditing capabilities. The digitized workflows facilitate a clear audit trail, enabling the company to track and audit changes effectively. This feature is critical for ensuring compliance and maintaining audit safety, as it ensures all changes are documented and traceable. What’s Next Greene King is planning on expanding their use of Connected Workplace to help with Capital Project Development. Nuvolo Projects will ensure all project data is easily accessible for team members, departments, and business units. With project details in one place, they will be able to more easily track tasks and milestones, set up project baselines, and make better decisions to ensure they’re keeping critical projects, such as pub refurbishments, on time and to budget. Interested in hearing about other EMEA customers? See how Circle K uses Connected Workplace to get a consolidated view of their facilities operations or how STACK EMEA streamlines their critical maintenance processes on one platform. You can also learn more about Connected Workplace and contact us for a demo here. Share
