Marston's Brewery

For other uses, see Marston (disambiguation).

Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company Limited

Company type	Limited company
Traded as	Carlsberg Marston's
Industry	Brewery
Predecessor	Carlsberg UK • Brewery business of Marston's plc
Founded	November 2, 2020; 4 years ago (2020-11-02)[1]
Headquarters	Wolverhampton, England, UK
Owner	Carlsberg Group
Website	www.carlsbergmarstons.co.uk

Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (CMBC) is a British subsidiary of Carlsberg Group, created in November 2020 by the merger of Carlsberg's UK business and Marston's breweries. Marston's plc retained a 40% ownership until July 2024.

History

In May 2020, it was announced that subject to competition law and shareholder approval, Marston's plc would merge its brewing business with Carlsberg UK (the United Kingdom arm of Carlsberg Group), into a joint venture valued at £780m. Marston's took a 40% stake in the joint venture and received up to £273m in cash. The deal involved Marston's six breweries and distribution depots, but not its 1,400 pubs.^[2][3] The merger was approved by the Competition and Markets Authority on 9 October 2020.^[4]

Marston's announced on 8 July 2024 that it had decided to sell their 40% share in CMBC to Carlsberg for £206m in order to focus on running the pub business. Carlsberg also announced on the same day that it was buying the soft drinks company Britvic for £3.3b, merging Britvic and CMBC into a single company called Carlsberg Britvic.^[5] The deal to acquire Marston's 40% stake in CMBC was completed on 21 July 2024.^[6]

CMBC announced on 4 August 2024 that the head office in Wolverhampton would be converted into a block of 18 flats.^[7] CMBC announced on 7 October 2024 that the Bank's Brewery in Wolverhampton would be closed down by Autumn 2025 as part of a restructuring of its' brewery network.^[8] CMBC announced in November 2024 that 11 of its beers would be discontinued in pubs in the UK by the end of 2024.^[9]

Operations

The Marston's Brewery in Burton upon Trent, 2009

The company owns and operates three breweries:^[10]

• The Banks's Brewery in Wolverhampton.
• The Marston's Brewery in Burton upon Trent.
• The Carlsberg Brewery in Northampton.

Brewing methods

The brewery was one of the last major brewers to use Burton Union Sets, a system whereby fermentation barrels and troughs were linked together by pipework.^[11]

Beers

The Marston's Arena at Northwich Victoria F.C.

Half of all the company's beer is bottled.^[12] Marston's Pedigree is brewed in Burton-upon-Trent: it is a 4.3% ABV bitter.^[13] Introduced in 1952, it is Marston's flagship brand, selling 150,000 hectolitres in 2010.^[13] It is the only beer to use the oak Burton Union System so that it is fermented in wood; the ingredients are mineral enriched Burton Water, malted barley, and Fuggles and Goldings hops.^[13]

Marston's acquired Thwaites' main brewing arm, including the Wainwright brand, in March 2015 for £25.1 million. Marston's had been brewing Thwaites' beers since early 2014 after Thwaites main brewery in Blackburn was shut down.^[14]

Other beers distributed by the company include the 1664 brand, which was acquired from Heineken N.V. in June 2023.^[15]

Sponsorship

From 2007 to 2017, Marston's sponsored the England and Wales Cricket Board and Marston's Pedigree was the official beer of the England Cricket team. They were exclusive beer advertisers and suppliers at home test matches.^[16]

See also

• Brewers of Burton
• British regional breweries using wooden casks

References

1. "Our History". Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
2. "Marston's and Carlsberg UK announce £780m merger". BBC News. 22 May 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
3. Davies, Rob (22 May 2020). "Brewers Carlsberg UK and Marston's announce merger". The Guardian. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
4. Pugh, James (9 October 2020). "Regulator approves Carlsberg's £780m joint venture with Marston's". Express & Star. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
5. Houlton, Cara (8 July 2024). "Carlsberg agrees to buy Britvic in £3.3bn takeover deal". Grocery Gazette. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
6. Corser, John (31 July 2024). "Wolverhampton pubs group Marston's £206m deal completes - full details". Express & Star. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
7. Barnett, Christian (4 August 2024). "Marston's' former Wolverhampton offices set for flat conversion as brewing venture sale completes". Express & Star. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
8. Panter, Matthew (7 October 2024). "Closure plan announced for Banks's Brewery in Wolverhampton leaves uncertainty over 100 jobs". Express & Star. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
9. Giddings, Andy (27 November 2024). "Anger over Carlsberg Marston's decision to cut well-known beers". BBC News. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
10. "Our locations & breweries". Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
11. Hornsey, Ian Spencer (1999). Brewing. Royal Society of Chemistry. p. 127. ISBN 978-0-85404-568-6.
12. "Marston's unveil new £7.4m bottling line". Burton Mail. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
13. Oliver, Garrett (2011). The Oxford Companion to Beer. Oxford University Press. p. 573. ISBN 978-0-19-536713-3.
14. "Marston's in £25m swoop for Thwaites' brewing business". Express & Star. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
15. Halliday, Edward (13 April 2023). "Northampton-based Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company and HEINEKEN UK announce UK deal for Kronenbourg 1664". Northampton Chronicle & Echo. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
16. "Marston's renews as official beer of England cricket team". sportspromedia.com. 25 October 2013. Retrieved 30 March 2015.

External links

• Carlsberg Marstons Brewing Company