Banks’s brewery will close in its 150th year

United Kingdom |  Carlsberg’s UK venture, Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC), is planning to shutter the Banks’s Brewery in Wolverhampton in autumn next year. Nearly 100 employees will be affected by the closure.

Banks’s opened in 1875 and its chimney has long been a recognisable feature of Wolverhampton’s skyline.

CMBC gave two reasons for the decision to close Banks’s. It cited declining cask ale volumes and Mahou San Miguel not renewing its long-term exclusive licence partnership with CMBC from next year.

Paul Davies, CEO of CMBC, said: “This has been an extremely difficult decision. However, it has been necessary to restructure our business to maintain our competitiveness in a challenging UK beer market.

“The hard reality is that, because of the current climate for cask ale and Mahou San Miguel’s decision not to renew its exclusive production and distribution agreement with CMBC from the start of next year, we will have significant excess capacity across our brewery network which we have to address.”

“Carlsberg’s Tour of Destruction” (Roger Protz)

Since the merger between Carlsberg and Marston’s in late 2022, Carlsberg has closed three ale breweries: Jennings in the Lake District, Ringwood in Hampshire and Wychwood in Witney. It also sold the Eagle Brewery to Spanish brewer Damm.

In July, Carlsberg fully acquired CMBC from its partner Marston’s, for GBP 206 million (USD 262 million). Mr Davies said that CMBC would continue to invest in its breweries in Northampton and Burton.