Metropolitan Pub Company has closed The Phoenix on Throgmorton Street in the City of London for a six-figure refurbishment, with the pub due to reopen towards the end of October. The works target dining, drinking and live sport trade at a pub aimed at the after-work crowd, ahead of the autumn season.

The Phoenix shut to the public on 5 October. The renovation brings a new colour scheme, modern decor and more comfortable furniture, while the layout is redesigned with an upgraded bar area and additional fixed seating to suit groups of different sizes.

The entrance will also be refreshed with new lobby doors and updated signage to improve its kerbside appeal. The pub plans to host a full calendar of entertainment through the year and is recruiting front-of-house team members.

The building is a converted bank head office that opened in 1999 as a Hogshead, became London’s first completely no smoking pub in 2003 and has been part of the Greene King estate since 2004. It now trades under the Metropolitan Pub Company banner.

Metropolitan Pub Company is a London-based business founded in 2013 that runs around 80 urban local pubs. It sits within Greene King, which is owned by Hong Kong-listed CK Asset Holdings and reported revenue of £2.539 billion and adjusted operating profit of £217.4 million for the 53 weeks to 4 January 2026.

The parent group’s capital spending reached £219.4 million over the same period, across its managed pubs, franchise estate and growth concepts, which sets a six-figure scheme such as this one against a much larger group capital budget.

The structural driver is targeted refurbishment of an established City pub, completed through a short closure, so that dining, drinks and sport trade can be lifted without a longer period out of the market.

For the sector, The Phoenix shows managed pub groups continuing to reinvest in individual city sites, using layout and seating changes to serve both after-work groups and sports audiences.

Source: Yahoo News / WhatPub / Morning Advertiser / Pub & Bar