Eagle Brewery sale ‘highlights UK beer market imbalance’

08-Nov-2022 - Last updated on 08-Nov-2022 at 15:52 GMT

News of the brews: CAMRA estimated some 70% of beer made in the UK is produced by a few global brewers (image: Getty/Jonathan Knowles)

Related tags Beer Finance Campaign for real ale

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) has reacted to the recent news of Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (CMBC) selling the Bedford-based Eagle Brewery, stating it ‘highlights the dominance of global brewers in the UK and further squeezes small, independent brewers’.

Spanish brewer SA Damm (Damm) acquired the Eagle Brewery from CMBC for an undisclosed sum, it was revealed this week.

The announcement also said as part of the deal, the Eagle Brewery’s beers will continue to be sold as part of CMBC’s portfolio.

Furthermore, all 67 production employees at the brewery will transfer over to Damm’s UK workforce.

Global brewers' production

This followed CMBC’s announcement in September that it was closing Jennings Brewery in Cockermouth, Cumbria.

Moreover, at the end of last year (December), CMBC revealed it had closed London Fields Brewery, shutting the taproom and ceasing brewing as it looked to sell the site and brand.

This was in addition to other deals cited by CAMRA including London-based Fullers being passed into the ownership of Asahi alongside many smaller independent breweries being swallowed up by global brewing giants.

CAMRA claimed the recent announcements are a ‘continuing sign of the difficulty UK-owned breweries are finding in competing against a few huge global brewing giants’.

The consumer organisation estimated these global brewers now produce about 70% of beer made in the UK.

Continual consolidations

CAMRA chairman Nik Antona said: “This latest news highlights a global brewing market, which is massively unbalanced, grants too much power to the international brewing giants and increasingly makes it impossible for independent, British brewers to compete.

“We believe the UK beer market and particularly the on-trade, needs constant monitoring by competitive authorities, as a result of the continual consolidations that have taken place in the past five years or so.

“It’s small comfort but at least the Eagle Brewery in Bedford is being sold as a going concern and the brands that were born and brewed there will find new homes at other CMBC breweries.”

Antona added that he was optimistic maximising production at CMBC’s remaining breweries will maintain profitability and dissuade the company from further site closures and job losses.