Record Year for St Austell Brewery
St Austell Brewery, the English regional brewer, pub operator and drinks wholesaler, is continuing to increase sales of its cask ales and to outperform the overall UK beer market. The Cornwall-based group has reported a 20% increase in underlying profit to £9.0m for the year ended January 2nd 2010 on turnover up by £6.6m to a record £93.3m. Pre-tax profit advanced by £389,000 to £7.8m.
Sales of draught ale rose by 18% and packaged ales jumped 29%. St Austell Brewery’s flagship brand, Tribute, increased sales by 22% and now accounts for 69% of total volume of 52,000 barrels. “This is the first time in the history of the company that we have sold more than 50,000 barrels and is an indication of how well our ales are received by customers throughout the country,” points out William Michelmore, chairman of St Austell Brewery.