UK: Carlsberg sells London Fields Brewery to pub company Grace Land Group

Carlsberg has sold London Fields Brewery to north London pub company Grace Land Group for an undisclosed sum, The Drinks Business reported on May 18.

Grace Land Group, which was founded in 2009, owns six north London pubs, including the Black Heart, Earl of Essex, Kings Arms, The Axe, and Red Hand, is set to relaunch the brewery as “Saint Monday” and will continue to brew beers at the production site.

Speaking to the drinks business about the deal, a spokesperson for Carlsberg Marstons Brewing Company (CMBC) said: “We are pleased to confirm the sale of London Fields Brewery to Grace Land Group. We wish Grace Land Group every success with their plans to relaunch the brewery as Saint Monday, which we look forward to seeing develop and continue the brewing legacy of this iconic site.”

London Fields Brewery, which was originally founded in 2011, was the first commercial brewery to open in Hackney since the 19th century and was originally put up for sale in March 2016, following the arrest of owner Julian De Vere Whiteway-Wilkinson on suspicion of fraud before being bought by Carlsberg in 2017.

Upon acquiring London Fields, Carlsberg set about running the business in a joint venture with New York’s Brooklyn Brewery, but in 2020 additionally created a joint venture with producer and pubco Marston’s in a deal worth £780 million.

The new business, CMBC, then gained control of Carlsberg UK’s Northampton brewery, London Fields brewery, and national distribution centre; and Marston’s six national and regional breweries – Marston’s, Banks’s, Wychwood, Jennings, Ringwood and Eagle – along with 11 distribution depots.

18 May, 2023