uk

Heineken fully acquires Brixton Brewery

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Brixton Brewery
Dutch giant purchases remaining 51% of London microbrewer Brixton Brewery announced today that Heineken has purchased the remaining stake in its business. Heineken acquired 49% of the south London microbrewery back in late 2017. In a statement, Brixton cited a number of advantages gained from their tie-up with Heineken over the last three years, including the company's "market reach". This reach has extended considerably since the original deal, with Heineken's Star Pubs & Bars owning ...
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Carlsberg takes control of brewing at Marston’s

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New venture to brew beer while Marston's retains pub estate Marston's has become the latest brewer of traditional English ales to offload its brewing operations in favour of a focus on its substantial pub estate. In doing so it follows Fuller's, Wells & Young and Greene King, all of whom have sold all or part of their businesses in recent years. The divestment is not total, as Marston's retains a 40% share in the new venture, Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company, with Carlsberg paying...
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AB InBev expands UK wholesale

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Acquires assets of failed distribution business and bar Earlier this year, beer specialist wholesaler and retailer The Bottle Shop went out of business. The short-term causes were said to be the loss of distribution contracts for popular beer brands Beavertown (now part-owned by Heineken) and Mikkeller. Today, in an article on the Beer Insider website, it has been announced that the remnants of The Bottle Shop, including around £400,000 worth of stock, have been purchased by AB InBev....
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Magic Rock is latest UK brewery to sell out

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Japanese multinational Kirin acquires Yorkshire micro via Australian subsidiary Independent British breweries continue to attract attention from acquisitive foreign brewers, and Magic Rock of Huddersfield is the latest target. Kirin's subsidiary Lion announced today that they have acquired 100% of the brewery for an undisclosed sum. Less than a year ago, Kirin purchased London brewery FourPure. Reports indicate that the moves to add Magic Rock to its portfolio began immediately after thi...
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AB InBev rebrands in UK and Ireland

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"Budweiser Brewing Group UK & I" is the new name for AB InBev in the UK and Ireland. This subsidiary of the world's largest brewing company, headquartered in Leuven, owns two large industrial breweries in Great Britain where it brews Budweiser, Stella Artois, Boddington's and other subsidiary brands. It also owns the Camden Town Brewery in north London, and a Goose Island brewpub in the east of the capital. The company does not have a direct footprint in Ireland but instead uses loca...
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Fuller’s to sell brewing operations to Asahi

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Japanese multinational acquires its second London brewery, for £250m. London brewer Fuller, Smith & Turner announced today that it was preparing to sell its production and wholesaling operations, including the Griffin Brewery, to Asahi. The company will retain its pub estate and will establish a "strategic alliance" with Asahi to ensure that pubs remain stocked with Fuller's beers. Included in the sale are the Gales and Dark Star beer brands, previously acquired by Fuller's, as well as th...
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Kirin acquires FourPure

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Bermondsey microbrewery is the second London brewer to sell to a multinational in recent weeks. Japanese drinks giant Kirin, via its Australian subsidiary Lion, has purchased outright the south London microbrewer FourPure for an undisclosed sum. This follows the minority investment of Heineken in fellow London craft brewer Beavertown, announced last month. While this is Lion's first UK acquisition, it has experience of the craft beer market, having previously taken ownership of Australia's Lit...
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Heineken takes minority stake in Beavertown

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£40m investment will fund tenfold expansion and new visitor experience. In a blog post on the Beavertown website today, the north London brewery's founder Logan Plant announced new investment by Heineken in his company. The possible deal had been subject to much rumour and speculation in recent weeks. The arrangement is described as "arm's length", and Plant stresses that Beavertown's essential operational independence will not be compromised. He states that this desire to pursue the compa...
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ZX Ventures acquires UK spirits distributor

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Portfolio includes online whisky shop Master of Malt While acquisition of European beer assets may have slowed down, AB InBev's disruption division ZX Ventures is still making purchases. The latest is Atom Brands, a group of companies involved in spirits sales and distribution. In particular, Atom specialises in the "craft" end of the spirits market, and its labels include The Handmade Cocktail Company and That Boutique-y Gin Company. It also owns the online whisky shop Master of Malt which c...
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European macrobrewers increase US and UK presence

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Colorado's Avery and London's Brixton the latest investments.  As 2017 comes to a close, the final rush of brewery takeovers is under way. Last week Spanish giant Mahou San Miguel announced a 30% acquisition of Avery Brewing in Colorado. Avery is a long-established US craft brewery, opening in 1993 and now distributed in 33 US states. The purchase matches the 30% that Mahou San Miguel already owns in another Colorado craft brewery, Founders, purchased in 2014. Founders is still a highly respe...
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