Master of the mash tuns

Brewery boss Brian Hickman is a man with a big smile on his face.

Daniel Thwaites is now sole beer supplier to Ewood Park, home of local Premiership soccer club Blackburn Rovers - a sizeable beer deal by any standards, but one which gives managing director Hickman

special pleasure. He is acutely aware that any brewer - whatever its size - needs to fly the flag in its own back yard. So scooping the

biggest beer account in town means big bucks for the company, complementing its overall aim of becoming a major player on the

national beer stage.

The Rovers' deal follows a long line of sports-supply contracts underpinning Thwaites' free-trade sales policy over the past five years.

Old Trafford cricket ground in Manchester - where Thwaites also sponsors England cricket captain Freddie Flintoff - and Championship soccer club Burnley, are the two other big

accounts.

And the smaller deals that see Thwaites beers stocked in hundreds of cricket, rugby and golf clubs across the north of England has brought the brewery valuable extra barrelage.

Grass roots to major stage

Just 12 months into his new job as brewery supremo, Hickman is keen to see Thwaites continue to fertilise this grass-roots beer trade.

But he's also keeping a firm eye on the larger stage, acutely aware that as Britain's seventh-biggest brewer, Thwaites should be joining the ranks of the so-called "super regionals".

Beer production is very much Hickman's business and much of his career has focused on this aspect of the industry. In fact, he

has been described as a "rare species" in

brewing circles - one of the relatively few brewery executives who have reached the top via the mash tuns. Having started in 1987

as a production graduate for Allied Breweries, one of the top four names in UK brewing at the time, Hickman's interest in the industry's essential arts enabled him to qualify as an Institute of Brewing and Distilling Master Brewer.

Following spells at Allied's Tetley brewing plants in Warrington and Leeds, where he

became head brewer, Hickman crossed the border into Lancashire to join Daniel Thwaites as production and distribution director.

And he stepped up to the top job of managing director in April last year following an understudy stint for MD Paul Baker, who has now retired.

His seamless transition has left Hickman in pole position to consolidate Thwaites' growing stature as a brewer and pub operator of real strength.

Learning curve

"The past year has been a learning curve - I was keen to get involved in development of our pub estate, now numbering 422," he says.

"After all my years on the brewing side, there were a lot of things to pick up, but our efficient Blackburn team quickly helped me grasp an appreciation of the excellent way our pubs are ticking," he says.

Hickman hails from Yorkshire and still lives in a small village near Harrogate, but has found no difficulty in adjusting to working in the red rose county. And like all good Yorkshiremen, Hickman likes a pint or two. "I enjoy all types of beer without having a favourite, so ale or

lager slips down equally well," he says.

Milestone celebrations

While growing the estate is a firm Thwaites priority, huge pub acquisitions can probably be ruled out. Family-controlled Thwaites has no huge cheques available to bankroll grand-iose company takeovers, but the company remains acquisitive and about £18m is available if the right opportunities crop up.

Traditionally, Thwaites has preferred to grow its pubs on more of a piecemeal basis to ensure that pubs joining its estate meet the

required standards.

"Our beers and pubs remain at the core of our business but we're also keen to extend our contract brewing," Hickman explains.

Presiding over 1,330 brewery and pub staff in a company which remains Blackburn's biggest private employer, the new MD is highly conscious of the influential role played by Thwaites in the local economy.

Next year promises major celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of excise officer Daniel Thwaites' founding of the brewery.

"It's the perfect opportunity to cement our community roots even more strongly - we have big plans to celebrate this milestone event," Hickman says.

National player

While family brewers such as Ridley's, Gales and Hardys & Hansons have been toppling like ninepins over the past couple of years, Thwaites, though listed on the medium-player Ofex equity market, has a strong protective family shield.

Financial pundits agree that nothing

short of an economic earthquake is likely to dislodge the grip exercised by the controlling Yerburgh family over Blackburn's Star

...Brewery.

Thwaites' enthusiasm for diversification has helped it flourish, and sport remains its primary profile outlet, with supply to sports clubs underpinning much of its strategy. Hickman believes putting the brewery on a national stage remains the company's top

priority, exemplified in profile terms through the hugely successful link-up with test star Flintoff and the brewery's flagship cask beer Lancaster Bomber.

Successful partnerships have been forged in recent years with German brewers Kaltenberg and Warsteiner bringing foreign beers to Thwaites' pubs and free-trade accounts.

Hickman believes that this is a perfect

product mix which provides a real point of

difference for drinkers.

Innovate to communicate

Thwaites' new boss has a firm commitment to working hard with external trade bodies such as the British Beer & Pub Association and the Independent Family Brewers.

Hickman feels strongly that the industry should take every opportunity to talk itself up, especially following the brickbats thrown at the trade over the binge-drinking issue and the extended drinking hours introduced by the new Licensing Act.

But he feels it's time for the brewers and pubcos to try some innovative promotional tactics.

"We're very good at lobbying politicians at Westminster, but at that type of event it's

inevitable that you only manage to get the ear of relatively few, many of whom may be sympathetic to the cause anyway.

"I would like to see brewers engaging their own MPs, councillors and local groups to let more people on the ground know what the industry is doing on key issues," he says.

In the last financial year Thwaites, in common with most other brewers and pub operators, has found itself being hammered financially by huge increases in energy and regulatory costs associated with the new

Licensing Act.

Facing the smoke ban

And there's more to come this year - on

Hickman's desk lies a document bearing the bleak title Smoke-Free Premises and Vehicles - the 60-page report outlining government proposals for next summer's smoking ban.

"It's going to cost us more to ensure that our pubs get the best chance of mitigating the ban's worst effects," he says. "But that is

money we have to spend to ensure our

licensees and our pub estate are in a prime position to deal with one of the biggest

challenges they'll ever face.