Greene King selling out across China

Demand for British beer brand Greene King is soaring across China following president Xi Jinping’s visit to the UK, where he was pictured enjoying a pint of its IPA with the British prime minister.

President Xi Jinping and prime minister David Cameron leaving The Plough in Oxfordshire, where they had Greene King IPA (Photo: Twitter)

Reports from across China are claiming that orders have gone through the roof, and Greene King’s small distribution set-up in the country is struggling to keep up.

It follows the president Xi’s official state visit to the UK in October, where a photo-opportunity in British prime minister David Cameron’s favourite pub saw the pair enjoying Greene King’s flagship IPA along with fish and chips.

Peter Bloxham, a Beijing-based importer is quoted in The Guardian saying: “It has just gone berserk. It’s unbelievable.

“Within two days of the great bar scene … people from all over China were ringing: agents, restaurants, bars, hotels. They wanted this beer.”

“You couldn’t pay for the promotion. It would cost you a fortune.” He also reported that orders were coming in “from north, south, east and west.”

“We are now completely out of stock in our warehouse in Beijing of everything to do with Greene King,” he said.

During the same state visit, president Xi was served Ridgeview wine at an official banquet with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

Greene King is the largest brewer-operator in the UK, managing 1,900 pubs, hotels and restaurants across the country.