Gareth Brown

Marston’s Plc To Dispose Of 40% Stake In Brewing To Become A Focused Pub Business Marston’s PLC has announced the sale of its remaining non-core brewing assets to create a business entirely focused on pubs, with a binding agreement to sell the whole of its 40% interest in Carlsberg Marston’s Limited (“CMBC”) to a subsidiary of Carlsberg A/S (“Carlsberg”) (the “Transaction”) for £206 million in cash. The firm, which has brewed beer in Wolverhampton since 1875, announced on Monday that it sold its stake in Carlsberg Marston’s Limited (CMBC), a joint venture valued at £780m, to Carlsberg. Chief executive officer of Marston's Justin Platt said the sale to the Danish brewing company "significantly reduced" Marston's debt. The group will now focus on running about 1,370 pubs, which it operates across England, Scotland, and Wales. Marston's and Carlsberg announced a merger in May 2020 to form CMBC, in a move which involved Marston's six breweries and distribution depots, but not its pubs. However, Marston’s said it would continue its "strong partnership" with CMBC through the long-term brand distribution agreement which remains in place. The Campaign for Real Ale has said it is fearful about the future of UK beers, brands and breweries following the announcement that Marston’s is selling all its remaining ‘non-core’ brewing assets to a subsidiary of Carlsberg, to focus on running pubs. The sale comes after Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company introduced its ‘Fresh Ale’ concept earlier this year. ‘Fresh Ales’ are kegged versions of cask beers, served through traditional handpumps at the bar reserved for cask conditioned beer. CAMRA slammed the move as misleading to consumers and damaging to traditional cask ale, while also reporting the brewing giant to Trading Standards. Commenting on Marston’s selling the remainder of its brewing operations, CAMRA Chairman Nik Antona said: “This is a worrying development for Britain’s brewing heritage with Marston’s remaining brewing assets being transferred to a global brewing business which has already presided over the closure of historic breweries like Jennings in Cumbria and Charles Wells Eagle in Bedford, stopped selling cask ale in Scotland and has introduced an extremely damaging ‘fresh ale’ concept which is misleading to pubgoers and threatens the future of British cask conditioned ale. “CAMRA fears that this announcement could lead to a further erosion of the UK’s rich brewing history for the benefit of conglomerate global brewers – and particularly the commitment to brewing cask. The consolidation of the brewing industry into just a few large, international players erodes our brewing heritage, consumer choice, the diversity of beer in pubs across the country and the access to market for small, independent producers. “Having Marston’s pubs continuing to be subject to an anti-competitive supply tie by Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company is also a cause for concern, limiting choice for customers …

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September Sunshine Brings Drinks Sales Back Into Growth An overdue burst of sunny weather helped the On Premise to year-on-year growth in drinks sales for the first time this autumn, CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker shows. Average sales in Britain’s managed venues in the week to last Saturday (21 September) were 3% ahead of the same period in 2023. This followed weak trading in the first fortnight of September. Widespread sunshine at the start of last week brought consumers out to beer gardens and terraces, and sales were up by between 8% and 11% from Monday to Thursday (16 to 19 September). Trading in many cities and large towns was also boosted by the start of the academic year and Freshers’ Weeks. However, with the weather turning towards the end of last week, sales were softer on Friday (up 2%) and Saturday (down 2%). As is usually the case during warm weather, Long Alcoholic Drinks (LAD) categories had the strongest week. Beer and cider sales were up by 8% and 9% respectively, reversing two weeks of year-on-year declines. Wine and soft drinks were both up 3% but the spirits category continued a long run of negative numbers at 11% down. “After a dismal start to September it’s a relief to get some higher temperatures and sales,” says Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial leader UK & Ireland. “It shows consumers remain keen to enjoy drinks outside when the weather allows. However, operators and suppliers will need a strong end to September to turn it a from negative to positive month, and sustained growth could be elusive for some time. Pubs, bars and restaurants will need to stay laser focused on both value and quality to unlock spending from those consumers who are still feeling the pinch financially.” Read More:

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company Axe Well-Known Beer Brands, Says CAMRA The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has reported that pubs will soon be unable to stock iconic beers, including Banks’s Mild, following the Carlsberg buy-out of the last of Marston’s UK brewing operations. Fears that global brewers hugely reduce consumer choice in the UK have, CAMRA say, been realised as Carlsberg Marston's Brewing company (CMBC) axes eight classic British cask beers. The decision to delist these brands by the end of the year will have a huge impact on both pubs and pubgoers dealing brewing, consumer choice, and industry jobs another blow they said Despite an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority finding that the merger of Marston’s and Carlsberg would not have negative effects, it is now confirmed that the consolidation of the businesses will be followed by the consolidation of their brands, resulting in a huge loss of choice at the bar for consumers. Eight cask beers and a further three keg brands will no longer be available to pubs. The Eight cask beers and a further three keg brands which will no longer be available to pubsare: - Banks’s Mild - Banks’s Sunbeam - Bombardier - Eagle IPA - Jenning Cumberland Ale - Mansfield Dark Smooth - Mansfield Original Bitter - Marston’s Old Empire - Marston’s 61 Deep - Ringwood Boondoggle - Ringwood Old Thumper Commenting, CAMRA’s Real Ale, Cider and Perry Campaigns Director and Vice Chair, Gillian Hough said: “This is another example of a globally owned business wiping out UK brewing heritage. “I hope that this change will mean space on the bar for licensees to stock guest beers from local independent breweries, but realistically, I suspect this isn't what CMBC plans. This loss of consumer choice is the inevitable outcome of a brewing conglomerate run by accountants and the bottom line. This is a sad and disappointing decision that puts both the history and the future of British brewing in jeopardy.” Read More:

Independent Brewing Sector Sees Strong Sales And Demand But Financial Pressures And Market Access Restricting Growth Figures released today show the total number of breweries in the UK has continued to decline despite the sector reporting strong sales, with a -29 net closure rate across the UK and no region in growth for the second consecutive quarter. The figures released today by the SIBA UK Brewery Tracker show the total number of active UK breweries now stands at 1748, a -29 net drop since the end of Q1 2024. The SIBA UK Brewery Tracker takes into account all brewery openings and closures to give an accurate picture of the number of active brewing businesses. The figures make for sobering reading, with small independent breweries struggling against rising costs and legacy Covid debt despite strong sales in the sector; production volumes now having returned to pre-covid levels and cask beer production being in double digit growth*. “Independent brewers are reporting good sales growth and strong consumer demand, yet breweries continue to close. For most breweries the challenge is financial pressures from rising costs and market access, as well as lingering Covid debt – something SIBA has strongly lobbied Government for help on.” Andy Slee, SIBA Chief Executive. With the price of a pint at an all-time high independent brewers cannot pass significant price rises in raw materials, energy and production on to their customers, making access to market and help with financial pressures the most pressing factors in helping brewery numbers stabilise. “Where independent beers are stocked they sell well. They just need more opportunity to do so.” Andy Slee added. Examining the figures regionally it is clear the Midlands were by far the worst hit in the second quarter 2024, with a Net closure rate of -11, followed by the East and South West who each saw a -4 net closure rate. Scotland, the North East and the South West faired only slightly better, each posting a -3 net closure rate. The East and North West experienced a more moderate -1 net change, with Northern Ireland and Wales both maintaining their brewery numbers during the second quarter, with no change to their net figure. Read More:

Drinks Sales Edge Into Growth Ahead Of Christmas Rush On Premise drinks sales moved back into fractional growth in mid-November, CGA by NIQ’s Daily Drinks Tracker shows. Average sales in managed venues in the seven days to Saturday 16 November were 0.7% above the same week in 2023—a very modest increase, but raising hopes that festive occasions may start to unlock more consumer spending after a tough autumn in the On Premise. There was strong growth of 8% and 5% on Sunday and Monday (10 and 11 November) respectively, thanks in part to a burst of brighter weather, Premier League fixtures and Remembrance Day commemorations in local communities. However, sales were then down by between 0.3% and 3% from Wednesday to Friday (13 to 15 November), before a flat Saturday. The Daily Drinks Tracker’s breakdown of key drinks categories shows a decent week for Long Alcoholic Drinks (LAD) segments, with beer and cider up 4% and 3%. Wine was also up by 3% and soft drinks by 1% but spirits were 11% behind the same week in November 2023 to continue a challenging year for the segment. “Growth of 0.7% isn’t much cause for excitement, but it at least shows suppliers and operators are hauling sales back into line with last year,” says Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial leader UK & Ireland. “Consumers are hopefully getting ready to release some pent-up spending over December, and it’s encouraging to see good LAD numbers. However, with growth coming from higher prices, it’s clear that volumes remain under pressure, and venues will have to work very hard to attract people out of home over the festive season.” Read More:

Drinks Sales Slide Against Tough Comparatives Average drinks sales in Britain’s managed venues dropped by 12% year-on-year in the week to Saturday 7 September, CGA by NIQ’s latest Daily Drinks Tracker shows. It is one of the biggest gaps in sales of 2024 so far, and is the result of difficult comparatives against September 2023, which brought people out to drink in widespread sunshine and temperatures into the 30s. It is an abrupt reversal from the encouraging end to August, after a generally challenging summer for sales. Trading was down year-on-year on all seven days of the week. The start of the Premier League season made Sunday (1 September) the best of the seven, with sales down 6%. However the gap widened to between 16% and 22% from Monday to Thursday (2 to 5 September), and there was an 8% drop on both Friday and Saturday (6 and 7 September). The wine category was the brightest spot for suppliers and operators over the course of the week, with year-on-year growth of 1%. But sales were behind by double-digits in all four of the other main categories: beer (down 10%), cider (down 30%), soft drinks (down 16%) and spirits (down 16%). After a bumper start to last autumn, year-on-year growth was always going to be unlikely in the first week of September,” says Rachel Weller, CGA by NIQ’s commercial leader, UK and Ireland. “The gulf in sales shows the all-important influence of sunshine on footfall, and the On Premise has undoubtedly suffered from a dismal summer of weather. After a tough run of trading, the final third of the year is going to be even more crucial to businesses than ever. Read More:

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