Hampshire brewer George Gale & Co has appointed a new chairman to head its estate of 100-plus pubs in Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Berkshire and Dorset. Charles Brims, who has been a non-executive director of Gale's since 1995 and its deputy chairman since 2001, takes over from George Bowyer, whose family bought the brewery back in 1896. Brims has an in-depth knowledge both of brewing and of Gale's local trading area. He spent 13 years with Courage, culminating in a directorship of the retailing sector of the business, and a further 13 years with Portsmouth and Sunderland newspapers, as their chief executive. He has also been chairman of the local One Stop Convenience Stores and governor of Portsmouth University. Brims's vision for Gale's is "to grow a profitable retail estate of distinctive inns alongside thepremier brewery in Hampshire", which, the firm says, is perfectly in tune with the rest of the company's shareholders, directors and executive committee with whom he has forged such strong links. The Bowyer family interest in Gale's is to continue, primarily through George Bowyer's newrole as president and alsothrough the presence on the board of Jack Bowyer George's son and Phil Garratt his nephew. Brims said: "I feel privileged to be asked to be chairman of this excellent family business at a time when it is in such good condition because of the policies developed under the chairmanship of George Bowyer, and we will continue to develop this same strategy inthe future.
