FDBusiness.com

English regional brewer and pub operator Daniel Thwaites is planning to build a new state-of-the-art brewery, which will provide a platform for long-term growth. The company’s current brewery in Blackburn town centre was built in 1966 and does not provide the flexibility or efficiency for the demands of today’s market and requires significant modernisation.

Following a strategic review, the company, which employs over 300 people in Blackburn, has decided that moving to a new brewery and offices on a different site is the best way to improve its operational efficiency and remain competitive.

Thwaites is working in partnership with retailer Sainsbury, which has agreed to buy the existing site subject to planning consent being granted for a supermarket, and the proceeds from this sale will help to fund the construction of the new brewery.

Given the requirement for planning consent, exact timescales are not certain. However, it is anticipated that the move will take between three and four years. In addition, Thwaites is in preliminary discussions with Blackburn with Darwen Council to help identify a suitable local site for the new brewery.

“This is a great opportunity for us to address the challenges that we face with our existing brewery and to reinvigorate our business by building a new modern and efficient brewery,” says Richard Bailey, chief executive of Daniel Thwaites. “It signals our commitment to brewing our fine ales over the longer term and underpins sustainable employment locally. While we have been in the centre of Blackburn for over 200 years, times have changed and these plans allow us to lay strong foundations for the future.”