Closure plan announced for Banks’s Brewery in Wolverhampton leaving 100 jobs at risk

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) announced its proposal to close the brewery in Wolverhampton next autumn 2025, as part of a restructuring of its brewery network.

Paul Davies, CEO of CMBC, said: “This has been an extremely difficult decision, however it has been necessary to restructure our business to maintain our competitiveness in a challenging UK beer market."

The proposed restructuring comes in response to the decision by Mahou San Miguel not to renew its long-term exclusive licence partnership from 2025 and the decline of cask ale volumes over several years.

CMBC says it will be supporting colleagues across its wider network impacted by these proposals, including the 97 employed at Banks’s Brewery.

The company said will be working with trade union and colleague representatives throughout the consultation process.

As part of the network restructuring, CMBC says it will increase investment in its breweries in Northampton and Burton, with a long-term ambition to establish Marston’s Brewery in Burton as a national centre for craft beer and traditional ale brewing in the UK.

Bosses said it will be investing more than £6m in significant new projects at its brewery in Burton, including the refurbishment of its cask ale line to brew traditional British ales, as well developing the brewery’s capabilities for brewing innovative, contemporary craft ales.

In addition, as part of CMBC’s long-term logistics strategy, the business will be investing significantly in a new logistics depot in the Black Country region, to support its nationwide secondary logistics network.

Mr Davies added: “The hard reality is that, because of the current climate for ale and Mahou San Miguel’s decision not to renew its exclusive production and distribution agreement with CMBC from the start of next year, we will have significant excess capacity across our brewery network which we have to address.

“The team at Banks’s has been unwavering in its dedication and commitment to the brewery. We will ensure that we support all our people closely throughout this extremely challenging period.

“While the proposed closure of our Wolverhampton brewery is very regrettable, with the significant investments we are making in our Northampton and Burton breweries, our strong portfolio of brands and industry-leading logistics network, CMBC will continue to deliver for our customers and focus on long-term growth.”