Dutch brewing group Heineken has bought Britain’s Galaxy Pub chain of 918 public bars for €480m, the company said in a statement on Friday.

The pubs – described as ‘high-quality, largely freehold pubs’ – have been bought from the Royal Bank of Scotland. Heineken subsidiary Scottish & Newcastle has managed the pubs since 1999 on behalf of RBS.
Galaxy will be combined with Heineken’s existing portfolio of 462 outlets. Following this acquisition, Heineken will become one of the leading pub owners and operators in Britain, the company said.