Breweries and Distilleries

Apr- 2021 -

14 April

BrewDog announces new hotel and bar site in Edinburgh

BrewDog has announced it will be opening a new hotel and bar in Edinburgh later this year. James Watt, the brand’s chief executive, confirmed the plans to expand Brewdog’s hotel business to the Scottish capital on Twitter. Watt said: “Announcing the BrewDog DogHouse Edinburgh. An amazing beer hotel & bar…

6 April

Stella Artois launches £500,000 tips campaign

Stella Artois is set to launch a celebrity-backed Stella Tips campaign on 12 April that will see £500,000 given to hospitality staff across the UK. According to the Evening Standard, some 12,000 hospitality staff are expected to benefit from the campaign that is supported by Jodie Kidd and James Blunt.…

Mar- 2021 -

30 March

Brewdog considering hotel site in Edinburgh

Brewdog is considering the acquisition of a new hotel site in Edinburgh, according to comments made by the brand’s chief executive. On Twitter, James Watt said: “Working on a potential BrewDog beer hotel location in Edinburgh today. It would be great to open a beer hotel in the capital of…

16 March

Number of UK breweries rose by 7.5% in 2020

The number of breweries in the UK increased by 7.5% in 2020, according to research carried out by UHY Hacker Young. There are now 3,000 breweries in the country, despite pub and bar closures resulting from pandemic lockdowns. In 2020, pubs were closed for 161 days, which is around 44%…

Feb- 2021 -

9 February

Carlsberg CEO predicts ‘Roaring Twenties’ sector recovery

Carlsberg expects to experience a spike in demand similar to the roaring twenties as restrictions ease in what the group’s CEO believes will be a “normal summer”. Cees ‘t Hart, CEO at the group, told the Financial Times that despite the “high uncertainty” surrounding 2021, firms that have survived the…

2 February

Marston’s ‘unanimously rejects’ Platinum takeover bid

Marston’s, the brewery, pub, and hotel operator, has rejected a takeover bid submitted by Platinum Equity, a US-based private equity investment firm. The proposal, which represented 105 pence per Marston’s share, was “unanimously rejected” on the grounds that it “very significantly undervalues” the brand. A regulatory statement from the firm…

1 February

US equity firm eyes Marston’s takeover

Marston’s, the brewery, pub and hotel operator, is reportedly subject to a takeover approach from the US-based private equity investment firm, Platinum Equity. According to Bloomberg, Marston’s revealed on Friday 29 February that Platinum put forward an unsolicited, non-binding proposal of a possible cash bid to the group. The company’s…

Jan- 2021 -

21 January

Tennents invests in removing plastic packaging from lager cans

Tennents has announced a £7m investment in packaging equipment at Wellpark Brewery which will aim on eradicating 150 tonnes of plastic from the group’s Lager can packs by 2022, which includes more than 100 million plastic (hi- and mid-cone) rings. The investment, first announced in October 2019 as part of…

7 January

Wales’ best known brewery to move to England

Brains, Wales’ most famous brewery, is expected to move to England amid redundancies, according to ITV News. In December 2020, Brains announced that their 156-strong pub chain would be taken over by Marston’s. The pub group will run the Brains pubs on a combination of leased and management contract arrangements,…

Dec- 2020 -

24 December

Star Pubs launches PCA appeal

Star Pubs and Bars has “lodged an appeal” over the £2m fine it was handed by Fiona Dickie, the Pubs Code Adjudicator (PCA) earlier this year. Dickie deemed in October that the company had “seriously and repeatedly” breached the Pubs Code across a timespan of almost three years. The “game-changer”…