Breweries and Distilleries

Jan- 2023 -

11 January

Curious Brewery acquires Wild Beer Co

Premium brewer Curious Brewery has announced the acquisition of Somerset-based brewer Wild Beer Co. Wild Beer Co ceased trading and went into administration in December 2022 as a result of rising costs. The acquisition of Wild Beer Co will double the size of the existing Curious operation. Curious has a…

Dec- 2022 -

19 December

Liberation Group and Cirrus Inns agree merger deal

UK and Channel Islands pub, brewing and drinks business, Liberation Group, and Cirrus Inns, the pub business that trades from Southwest London to the Cotswolds, have announced the merger of the two companies. As part of the merger, Liberation’s CEO Jonathan Lawson will lead the combined group, with Alex Langlands…

8 December

Wild Beer Co enters administration

Somerset based brewer Wild Beer Co has ceased trading and entered administration as a result of rising costs. The company stated on its website that Undebt.co.uk had been appointed as administrators and are managing the affairs, business and property of the company. Administrators are looking into potential acquisitions for the…

Nov- 2022 -

24 November

Greene King workers to strike over pay

Workers at Greene King have announced strike action, according to Unite, with 188 workers who are members of the union set to partake. The workers in question are based at Bury St Edmunds, Eastwood (Nottinghamshire) and Abingdon (Oxfordshire), and brew and distribute Greene King’s products including IPA, Old Speckled Hen…

Sep- 2022 -

28 September

Shepherd Neame returns to FY profit as sales rebound

Shepherd Neame has reported a statutory profit before tax of £7.4m for the 52 weeks ended 25 June after a loss of £16.4m the year prior. The brewer, owner and operator of over 300 pubs in Kent and the Southeast, also saw an EBITDA of £23.4m, which “significantly rose” from…

7 September

Greene King launches new maternity leave policy

Greene King has announced the launch of its new maternity leave policy which will be introduced to support women before they go on maternity leave, as well as help make the transition back into work after having a child. The new policy now entitles salaried team members to 26 weeks…

Aug- 2022 -

30 August

Pubs and brewers warn of closures amid energy price cap rise

Business leaders from across the brewing and pub industry have signed an open letter to the Government and leadership candidates warning small businesses will close and jobs will be lost if immediate action isn’t taken on energy bills for businesses. The most recent letter, sent on 26 August, signed by…

15 August

St Austell Brewery appoints COO and commercial director

St Austell Brewery has announced the appointments of Andrew Turner to the newly-created role of chief operating officer and Paul Harbottle as the group’s first commercial director. These appointments come following St Austell’s new leadership team restructure. Turner reportedly joined the company in March 2020 as managing director of beer…

Jul- 2022 -

28 July

Food and drink industry administrations surge 60% in H1

The number of administrations filed for businesses in the food and drink industry surged 60% year-on-year between 1 January and 30 June 2022 (H1 FY21), according to analysis by Shakespeare Martineau. Overall, the food and drink industry accounted for 6% of administrations in the first six months of the year.…

Jun- 2022 -

8 June

Punch Pubs partners with Budweiser to stock Ukrainian beer

Budweiser Brewing Group announced that Chernigivske, a Ukrainian beer brand, will be participating in Punch Pubs venues across the UK. Punch Pubs are reportedly one of the first pub companies to stock Chernigivske beer in their 1,300 pubs across the country. All Budweiser Brewing Group profits in this collaboration will…