CARLSBERG BRITVIC PLANS TO CLOSE MARSTON'S BREWERY IN BURTON

Carlsberg Britvic has proposed closing Marston's Brewery in Burton upon Trent in summer 2027, putting around 310 jobs at risk, the company said. Carlsberg Britvic said the plan also covers the site's main logistics operation and comes in response to what it called the "stark reality" facing the cask ale trade. Chief executive Paul Davies said the decision was intended to ensure the company's portfolio matches current customer demand. The firm said priority brands including Hobgoblin, McEwan's and Brooklyn are expected to remain in its portfolio, though it is unclear where they would be brewed in future, while other, smaller cask and regional ale brands could be sold to specialist or local brewers. Davies said the brewery and logistics operation are expected to keep operating during a transition period while a consultation takes place.

Burton upon Trent's brewing history dates back centuries, with Marston's own links to the town going back more than 200 years and some describing Burton as the "beer capital of England", once home to more than 30 breweries. According to research firm NielsenIQ, the volume of cask ale sold in Britain's pubs fell by 7.1% in 2025, following an 11.2% drop the previous year. The proposal follows last year's closure of the 150-year-old Banks's Brewery in Wolverhampton, also owned by the Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company, a joint venture formed in 2020 before Carlsberg bought out Marston's remaining stake four years later. In May, Greene King agreed to sell its Old Speckled Hen brand to Damm UK, with chief executive Nick Mackenzie citing structural challenges facing cask ale.

Camra national chairman Ash Corbett-Collins, who grew up in Burton, described the proposal as "an absolute disgrace" and said Carlsberg's statements about the brewery's importance to the town "come far too little too late for most people, Camra included." He said it was the latest in a series of actions showing little regard for Britain's brewing heritage or its drinkers. Corbett-Collins said he agreed with Carlsberg on one point, that the time was right to consider independent brewers willing to take on the company's cask brands. Carlsberg Britvic said it would work through a consultation process regarding the proposed closure.