Tied pubs, in Britain, were early examples of something somewhat resembling a retail chain.
Tied pubs were generally owned by a brewery, and rented out to a publican who was contracted to sell only the brewery's own beer. (Although there were several other models of operating tied pubs).
Tied pubs were originated by William Simonds, one of the early large scale brewers. He set up 50 alehouses in the early 19th century to retail his beer. The trend towards tied houses accelerated after 1869, when tighter regulations made it harder for smaller beer houses to comply, and the breweries expanded their networks.