Carlsberg Britvic is proposing to shut Marstons Brewery in Burton-upon-Trent next summer, putting about 310 jobs at risk. The proposal also covers the primary logistics operation at the site, and the company told colleagues and trade union partners earlier on Thursday.
Paul Davies, the CEO, said the proposal was by no means a reflection on any of the company's people and that every effort would be made to help them through this period of uncertainty. Carlsberg Britvic said the brewery's history and legacy in Burton-upon-Trent were iconic, even as it moved ahead with the closure plan.
Burton-upon-Trent brewing links
Burton-upon-Trent's links with brewing go back centuries, and Marstons' own links to Burton date back more than 200 years. The company tied the proposal to UK cask ale volumes, saying they have more than halved in less than a decade and look set to continue declining across the UK.
That decline is the reason Carlsberg Britvic gave for proposing changes to how it uses the Burton site. The brewery and the primary logistics operation are expected to keep running during the transition period while key decisions are taken over the coming months.
Hobgoblin, McEwan's and Brooklyn
Carlsberg Britvic said priority brands including Hobgoblin, McEwan's and Brooklyn are expected to remain in its portfolio. It also said smaller brands could find a home under specialist or local brewers, but it did not say where those three brands would be brewed if Marstons Brewery closes.
Ash Corbett-Collins, the Camra chairman who grew up in Burton, said the announcement was an absolute disgrace. He said Carlsberg's statements about understanding the importance of the brewery to the town came far too little too late for most people, and argued that the time is right to think about alternative, independent brewers who are willing to become custodians of Carlsberg's cask brands.
For workers, the consultation now becomes the point that matters: Carlsberg Britvic has set out a proposal, not a final shutdown, and it says more information will follow as decisions are made. The unanswered issue is where Hobgoblin, McEwan's and Brooklyn would be brewed if the Burton site closes, and that answer will shape how the plan lands beyond the town itself.
