Greene King closed The Billesley pub in Birmingham on Monday morning without prior warning, leaving staff devastated after they learned from customers hours before a formal meeting. A worker with over five years of service told BirminghamLive that the brewery arranged to board up the Hungry Horse pub at around 7am, four hours before a staff meeting at another location where employees were told the pub had ceased trading.
Sudden Closure Shocks Staff
The staff member, who wished to remain anonymous, said they had been told the pub would close temporarily on July 12 for refurbishment. However, on Monday morning, they saw security boarding up the pub. "I thought 'what's going on here then?'" they said. An hour later, staff were summoned to an urgent meeting at 11am at a different pub, where they learned the pub had ceased trading. "They gave us no warning, I think it's really, really wrong. We got no notice," the worker added.
The Billesley has been a Hungry Horse pub since 2013 and was known for its Billesley Rock Club upstairs, an iconic live music venue. Many staff had worked there for years, building strong ties with the community.
Brewery's Response
A Greene King spokesperson said: "We are proud to run hundreds of thriving pubs in communities across the country. From time to time, we review the options available to us regarding the long-term future of our pubs. As a result of this process, we can confirm that we have ceased trading at The Billesley as we consider the future of the site. Making the decision to close a pub is never an easy one and multiple factors are always considered. We are aware this will be disappointing news to the local community, and we would like to thank those who have enjoyed visiting us over the years. We are working closely with our team at The Billesley to find alternative roles at our other pubs where possible."
Staff Heartbreak and Community Reaction
The worker said they were brought to tears by the news and now worry about the future if roles cannot be found at other venues. "If they'd have given us advance notice maybe we could have found something else, we could have told the customers. There were customers putting pictures of the closed pub on social media before we even had our meeting," they said. "I'm absolutely devastated, just heartbroken. Not just for me, but for all the colleagues. We've stuck together as a group through it all. I got to know the whole community as we went along, people would stop me in the high street, all through Covid we stayed in touch. We were like a family in there. We stuck together through good times and bad times, times when things were low, same as everywhere. But we got to know each other, all the regulars and staff stuck together. Customers have been in touch to say how sorry they are. I am so heartbroken. I'm just horrified at how it's all happened. Why couldn't they give us any warning? The way they've treated us has been diabolical. I haven't slept - it feels like someone has died."
When asked about the upset caused to staff who learned of the closure from customers, Greene King advised it had no further comment.
