United Kingdom: Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries (W&DB) insists Jennings brewery is 'secure'

Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries (W&DB) insists the future of Jennings Brothers’ brewery and beers will be secure if its £45.8m bid succeeds, The Publican posted on April 28.

W&DB has formally tabled a bid for the Cumbrian brewer, offering 430p a share in cash for each Jennings share.

Responding to the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) campaign calling for a guarantee that Jennings’ beers would continue to be produced at Cockermouth, Alistair Darby, managing director of W&D Brands, said the company had been clear about its commitment to the brewery.

“We see Jennings’ beers as a crucial part of the Jennings pub offer, and the fact that the beers are brewed in the Lake District is an essential part of their identity,” he said. “We wouldn’t look to change something which is clearly so successful.”

But Mr Darby added that calls by CAMRA for a 10-year commitment to brewing at the current site were unrealistic. “What we can’t do is give an unequivocal 10-year guarantee of production at Cockermouth. No company in any sector could do that.”

W&DB said the acquisition of Jennings’ 126 tenanted pubs meets its strategy for expanding its estate with the pubs providing a strong geographic fit with its existing estate.

Jennings chairman John Rudgard said: “The deal will protect and develop Jennings’ heritage within a far larger and stronger group.”

But CAMRA chief executive Mike Benner said that despite the assurances, he feared that future changes in market conditions could cause the brewery to move. “The only way to guarantee the future of the brewery is to defend its independence as a vertically integrated company,” he said.

30 April, 2005