At least one small brewer in the North of England has reversed a decision to stop brewing after Gordon Brown's Budget 14p-a-pint tax cut for tiny producers û to the chagrin of Jennings Brothers.
Jennings, the Cumbria-based brewer and pub operator, was two weeks from signing a deal to buy the unnamed micro-brewer's one pub for its own tenanted estate when Brown's cut in beer duty for anybody brewing less than 350 barrels a week made the little brewer decide it was worth staying in the beer business after all.
Despite this setback, Jennings, which unveils its full-year results next Thursday, says it still wants to add 25 new tenanted pubs to its estate this financial year. It has already bought four new tenanted houses, including one this week, taking it to 111, with four more in the pipeline.
The company, which announced its intention to get out of managed houses late last year, says it is particularly looking for good quality tenanted pubs in the North East. It has sold 33 "bottom-end" tenanted houses to other operators, as well as 20 managed pubs, converting the remainder to tenancies.
Jennings is about to unveil a new advertising campaign for the summer with the theme "The Taste of the Lake District". It is bringing in two business development managers, a brands development manager and a sales development manager, and is recruiting a salesperson to sell its beers to free-trade pubs and clubs in the North East of England.
Jennings, the Cumbria-based brewer and pub operator, was two weeks from signing a deal to buy the unnamed micro-brewer's one pub for its own tenanted estate when Brown's cut in beer duty for anybody brewing less than 350 barrels a week made the little brewer decide it was worth staying in the beer business after all.
Despite this setback, Jennings, which unveils its full-year results next Thursday, says it still wants to add 25 new tenanted pubs to its estate this financial year. It has already bought four new tenanted houses, including one this week, taking it to 111, with four more in the pipeline.
The company, which announced its intention to get out of managed houses late last year, says it is particularly looking for good quality tenanted pubs in the North East. It has sold 33 "bottom-end" tenanted houses to other operators, as well as 20 managed pubs, converting the remainder to tenancies.
Jennings is about to unveil a new advertising campaign for the summer with the theme "The Taste of the Lake District". It is bringing in two business development managers, a brands development manager and a sales development manager, and is recruiting a salesperson to sell its beers to free-trade pubs and clubs in the North East of England.
