UK – Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC), a joint venture between Carlsberg UK and Marston’s PLC, has agreed to divest its Eagle Brewery in Bedford to Spanish brewer S.A. Damm (Damm) for an undisclosed amount.
The Eagle Brewery, which was sold to Marston’s in 2017 will become the first Damm brewery outside of mainland Europe and only its second outside of Spain, allowing the company to strengthen its presence in one of its main foreign markets.
Damm is best known in the UK as a brewer of Estrella Damm beer, with the UK being one of Estrella Damm’s key export markets.
The deal is expected to complete by the end of the year and it will see 67 production staff at the site join Damm’s workforce in the UK.
However, The Eagle Brewery’s beers will continue to be sold as part of Carlsberg’s portfolio, including British ale brand Hobgoblin and Brooklyn Pilsner.
The new Damm production plant in the United Kingdom has a production capacity of 1 million hectoliters per year -mainly for draft beer production.
Inaugurated in 1976, the factory also stands out for having a strategic location that places it just over 90 kilometers from London and 120 kilometers from Birmingham, the two most populous cities in England.
Presently marketing its brands in more than 130 countries, the company began production abroad in 2009, with the purchase of the plant that the Portuguese brewery Cintra had in the Portuguese town of Santarém.
Paul Davies, the CEO of CMBC, said: “I am grateful to all of my colleagues and their counterparts at Damm for their collaboration throughout the process of making this agreement a reality.”
“This significant moment for the brewery, becoming Damm’s first brewery outside mainland Europe, has been made possible thanks to the brilliant and dedicated team at the Eagle Brewery, who we will be supporting throughout the transition.”
Demetrio Carceller Arce, executive president of Damm, commented that this deal will strengthen the company’s position in the UK market and help drive its brand in the UK, a key market for the company’s international growth.
The British public can currently enjoy products in more than 10,000 bars and restaurants, a figure Damm expects to continue to grow in the coming years, Carceller noted.
Despite having a presence in more than 130 countries, the British market has established itself as one of the great strengths of Damm’s internationalization.
At the end of the 1980s, the company decided to land in the United Kingdom, taking advantage of its brands’ pull among British tourists, consolidating its presence in the market, and currently offering a wide range of beers.
The beer brands include Estrella Damm, Inedit, Daura, Free Damm, Free Damm Lemon, Free Damm Tostada, Complot, Damm Lemon, its special edition of Christmas Beer, and Malaga beer Victoria.
From 1 January 2023, Estrella Damm will now be distributed to UK on-trade accounts and in the off-trade channel by Damm, while CMBC will exclusively continue to sell Estrella Damm to the wholesale and indie channels.
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