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UK: The famous Boddingtons brewery in Manchester is set to close with the loss of 55 jobs. The brewing of some beers produced at Boddingtons will switch to south Wales, Glasgow and Preston, Lancashire. Boddingtons and its Belgian parent company Interbrew have confirmed that the Strangeways brewery in Manchester will be closed in February 2005, Business Scotsman posted on September 10.

Steve Cahillane, chief executive of Interbrew UK and Ireland, said: "To reach this position on Boddingtons Brewery has been extremely difficult. But in a highly competitive environment, it is just not sustainable to continue brewing keg ales at Boddingtons and then transport them to our other brewery sites for packaging."

Brian Revell, national officer of the Transport and General Workers’ Union, said: "This is all about the maximisation of profits and demonstrates that the claim to be the world’s local brewer is little more than an advertising slogan devised to mislead the consumer.

"Local communities and a loyal workforce are the losers in this situation. The T&G will do everything it can to support its members to oppose a decision based on corporate greed."

Union officials complained that parent company Interbrew had promoted Boddingtons as the "cream of Manchester" during the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

A similar row erupted earlier this year when brewing giant Scottish & Newcastle announced plans to close its historic Tyne brewery in Newcastle with the loss of more than 100 jobs.

Edinburgh-based S&N, through its Scottish Courage brewing arm, said it would be switching production of its world-famous Newcastle Brown Ale to the Federation brewery two miles away and over the river in Gateshead.


10 September, 2004