What would a £40m Greene King brewery mean for a town?

[Chippy_Tea]

Major pub chain Greene King has called time on its brewery of more than 200 years and announced plans to move to a new £40m site by 2027.

The company has produced cask ales from Westgate Brewery, in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, since it was founded in 1799.,

Greene King, which was sold to Hong Kong operator CKA in 2019, owns about 2,700 pubs, restaurants and hotels in the UK,

Environmental and efficiency reasons were cited for the move to a new "state-of-the-art" facility on the edge of the town.

What has the reaction been and what does it mean for Bury St Edmunds?

Greene King, known for brands like Abbot Ale, Greene King IPA and Old Speckled Hen, said the move represented a "long-term commitment to British brewing".

"I hope that people do see the intent behind this is very much an investment to protect the long term position in Bury St Edmunds and all the jobs that go with it," said Matt Starbuck, managing director of brewing and brands at the company.

Public consultations will be held, external and Mr Starbuck anticipated all work would be completed by 2027.

He said Greene King was "committed to retaining our heritage and having an ongoing presence in the centre of Bury St Edmunds".

The brewer said the new site - just over two miles (3.2km) away from the Westgate Brewery - would cut water usage in the brewing process by more than 50% per pint, alongside improvements in energy efficiency.

“We have been brewing in Bury St Edmunds for over 200 years," Mr Starbuck said.

"We are passionate about our craft and the development of this state-of-the-art facility will allow us to maintain brewing at the core of our business going forwards."

It hoped to submit a full planning application in June.

Full article - https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c6pyn78095jo

 

[Caramel Ox]

Wadworth also moved to a modern facility on a new site last year. Looks like a similar move.

https://www.wadworth.co.uk/news-offers/folly-road-brewhouse-1

First half of the video is quite dull, it gets more entertaining when the Germans are introduced.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

, it gets more entertaining when the Germans are introduced.

That is a lot of stainless steel.

 

[Graz]

It's not like they're shifting operations to another part of the country (or even the world), it's just a couple of miles away.

Seems like a good idea to me, it should create more jobs in the near term while it's being built and hopefully preserve the jobs of the majority of those who work in the current facility.

When it's large scale brewing the industry has to move with the times, be more sustainable, and efficient. At least they are going this route rather than what Carlsberg Marston's did to Wychwood.

 

[Stu]

As someone who was born in the old hospital round the corner, I fully understand that GK want to be able to use modern brewing methods.
But I really hope that they can still continue to use the old brewery too.

Anyone who knows Bury will know that the Brewery is absolutely central to the town.

Although they've turned into a retail behemoth, unlike some of the other large breweries, they've not been wiping out smaller breweries across the country *cough* Whitbread *cough*

For instance, they bought Belhaven 20 odd years ago and continue to run it as an "owned" brewery - those in Scotland will know the Belhaven brand well (and frankly, I do enjoy Belhaven Black).