Carlsberg Britvic proposes shutting Marston's Brewery after cask ale volumes fall by more than half

Trimming the Burton operation would have been a bet that cask ale settles at its new, lower level. Closing the brewery and the logistics operation together is a bet that the fall continues ^[1][2]. Chief executive Paul Davies said that "the stark reality is that UK cask ale volumes have more than halved in less than a decade, and this trend looks set to continue across the UK" ^[3]. Volume was one of two reasons. The company said the proposal was driven both by structural category decline and by a need to create greater long-term value, Personnel Today reported ^[7].

A sceptic would say that a category which has halved still has half its drinkers, and a brewery can be run at half the size. The company's answer is to sort its brands by where demand is going. Davies said it was important that the portfolio was focused "where consumers are today, and where customer demand is growing" ^[9]. Of the brands it plans to let go, he said: "That said, smaller ale brands are much loved by select consumers, and we will do everything we can to ensure they thrive under more specialist or local ownership in the future" ^[8]. The company did not publish the site's running costs or how much of its capacity is in use, so the case for a smaller brewery cannot be checked from outside.

Keeping some brands while closing the brewery leaves a production question with a summer 2027 deadline ^[1]. The BBC reported that it is unclear where Hobgoblin, McEwan's and Brooklyn will be brewed ^[6].

I think single ownership made the whole-site option easier to put forward. The consultation is being run by Carlsberg Britvic alone and does not involve Marston's plc, which held 40% of the brewing business until July 2024 ^[14][13]. In the same year, Carlsberg bought Britvic in a £3.3bn takeover ^[15].

The town's place in the group has changed quickly. Burton took in Banks's production from Wolverhampton in 2025, after 150 years in that city, the BBC reported ^[17]. Two years later, the Marston's site in the same town is proposed for closure, affecting roughly 8% of the group's 4,000 staff ^[19].

Davies said he was "very aware that this news will have come as a shock for colleagues" ^[18]. On timing, he said: "As and when key decisions are taken over the coming months, we will share further information with the industry, but always with our colleagues first" ^[11].