{"id":6144,"date":"2026-03-25T11:11:47","date_gmt":"2026-03-25T11:11:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/?p=6144"},"modified":"2026-03-25T11:50:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T11:50:49","slug":"trade-news-march-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/2026\/03\/25\/trade-news-march-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Trade News – March 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Molson Coors and Sharps<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doom Bar, despite being one of the nation\u2019s top selling beers, is not highly regarded by most cask ale drinkers that I know.  All the same, it is sad to see it being removed from its origins in Rock, Cornwall, especially at the cost of 50 jobs in an area of high unemployment.  The irony is that many people didn\u2019t believe that, given the vast quantities produced, it was actually brewed there anyway!  The closure is part of a wider restructuring of the company in the UK and Ireland and the Rock site has been judged to be \u2018no longer financially sustainable as part of our national production network<\/em>\u2019.  There will also be job losses elsewhere.  Sharp\u2019s were founded in 1994 and were taken over by Molson Coors (MC) in 2011.  MC are said to have since invested \u00a320 million in the site.  Presumably, MC have spare capacity in their other breweries in Burton-on-Trent, Burtonwood and Tadcaster.  Sharp\u2019s did, of course, produce other beers than Doom Bar and MC say that they are committed to these brands and will explore \u2018a number of alternative production routes<\/em>.  I only hope that MC don\u2019t go down the path of changing Doom Bar to a brewery-conditioned \u2018fresh\u2019 beer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rescuers rescued<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Readers will recall that that when the Black Sheep Brewery were previously in difficulties, the Keystone Brewing Group (KBG), backed by Breal Capital, stepped in to save them.  KBG also acquired a number of other breweries, including Purity Brewing Co, Brew By Numbers, Brick Brewery, Magic Rock Brewing and Fourpure Brewing Co.  However, In January, KBG themselves gave notice that they were going into administration.  The family-owned Paramount Retail Group, who already own the Saltaire Brewery, then acquired KBG for \u00a34.5 million.  There had been suggestions that Black Sheep would be sold separately but that didn\u2019t happen.  Paramount have set up a separate organisation, the Great British Drinks Company (GBDC), to operate their new acquisitions.  The purchase includes an agreement to invest \u00a32 million in Black Sheep in order to \u2018restore the business back to growth\u2019<\/em>.  The deal has saved around 145 jobs.  Encouragingly, one of the co-founders of GBDC said, \u201cWe are backing regional craft beer and rebuilding some of the nation\u2019s best loved brands.  These sites are not just businesses.  They are community assets and important drivers of local tourism<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wetherspoons news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Further to the site at Charing Cross mentioned in the previous edition, JDW have announced a new pub in Paddington, this time next to the station itself, despite having only opened the nearby Sir Alexander Flemin<\/strong>g<\/a> last autumn.\u00a0 A number of observers, including me, are wondering if their plan is to have a site at each of London\u2019s railway (not \u2018train\u2019) termini.\u00a0 A new site in the West End, in Shaftesbury Avenue, has also been announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There appears to have been another U-turn regarding the site of the former Grape & Grain<\/a><\/strong> at Crystal Palace.\u00a0 According to a report in the London Now<\/em> newsletter, the site was put up for sale for a second time in February, despite JDW having announced in March of last year that they would, after all, be developing the site themselves.\u00a0 This one-time Good Beer Guide<\/em> entry has been closed since 2017.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

JDW have put another leasehold pub up for sale.\u00a0 This is the Kentish Drovers<\/a><\/strong> in Peckham.\u00a0 I have only recently seen this reported but it has been on the market for some time.\u00a0 It is a large four-storey pub in a prominent position, not far from Peckham Rye station, and is in the Rye Lane Peckham Conservation Area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In Kingston, a garden area has now been added to the King\u2019s Tun<\/strong><\/a> and, further out in Guildford, the Surrey University Students\u2019 Union has become a JDW franchise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early February, Sir Tim made an interesting comment to the Sunday Times<\/em>, as reported in the Propel <\/em>newsletter.  He said, \u201cI\u2019m keeping my nose to the grindstone.  I never wanted to build a dynasty.  I thought it was unfair on the children and maybe unfair on people who worked for the company and would naturally rise through.  But I\u2019ve got to find people to take over from me<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Star attraction<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In February, Star Pubs and Bars, owned by Heineken, reported that the number of applicants to take on pubs in their leased and tenanted sector increased by 10% in January as compared to 2025.  They say that this demonstrates that taking on a pub remains an \u2018attractive proposition\u2019<\/em>.  The report added that some 60% of applicants now find their pubs through company websites and social media and that they are now more knowledgeable about the trade, especially the financial aspects.  No doubt then that they can work out how much better off they would be if they could trade \u2018free of tie\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

M&B splash the cash<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mitchell & Butlers have announced that, this year, they will be spending money on 18 out of the 100 or so pubs in their community-focused Castle Pubs brand.\u00a0 Among the first were the White Horse<\/a><\/strong> in Parsons Green (see the Pub News column) and the Crown & Greyhound<\/a><\/strong> in Dulwich which was due to reopen on 19 March, following work on the bar and outdoor areas and the creation of an events space upstairs.\u00a0 Its 20 letting rooms are also being given a make-over.\u00a0 The next in line for refurbishment are the Prince Albert in Notting Hill and the Sun in Clapham Old Town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, M&B are expanding their Orleans Smokehouse brand.\u00a0 The first reported instance in London is the Beulah Spa<\/a>, a former Harvester in Upper Norwood.\u00a0 It has a separate bar area with seating for non-diners although it does not stock cask beer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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At their AGM on 29 January, over 20% of M&B\u2019s shareholders voted against the re-election of the chairman, Bob Ivell.  The company said that it was \u2018committed to continuing discussions with shareholders<\/em>\u2019 over the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Morgans expand<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Morgan Pub Collective, who operate some 25 pubs in and around London, have now added the Crane Tap<\/a><\/strong> in the new development opposite Twickenham station to their portfolio.\u00a0 This follows their acquisition of the Jolly Fine Pub Company last autumn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Heartwood Collection\u2019s new opening<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Marston\u2019s closed the Woodman<\/a><\/strong> in Palmers Green in July 2024.\u00a0 Happily, the pub, first licensed in 1868 and converted from two cottages, has now been acquired and reopened by the Heartwood Collection after refurbishment.\u00a0 This is their 35th pub.\u00a0 The company has reported that, for the year ended 29 June 2025, their turnover increased by 21.7% to \u00a382.6 million, up from \u00a367.9 million in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Young\u2019s news<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young\u2019s have closed the Naturalist<\/a><\/strong> in Finsbury Park.\u00a0 Only opened in 2018 and situated in a new development, it appears that the site has not been successful.\u00a0 It is understood to be on the market.\u00a0 Also currently up for sale are the lease of the Nine Elms Tavern<\/a><\/strong>, another modern pub at the base of an apartment block, the freehold of the Grade II-listed Kings Head<\/strong><\/a> in Roehampton and the lease of the Guard House<\/a><\/strong> in Woolwich, also Grade II listed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Given the extent to which the company has grown in both size and performance in recent years, the company intends to apply to the Financial Conduct Authority for its shares to be moved from the AIM market to be traded on the main market of the London Stock Exchange.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Molson Coors and Sharps Doom Bar, despite being one of the nation\u2019s top selling beers, is not highly regarded by most cask ale drinkers that I know.  All the same,… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6246,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-pub-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6144"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6144\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6153,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6144\/revisions\/6153"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6246"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/londondrinker.camra.org.uk\/wordpress\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}