Camerons snaps up eleven more venues

North east brewer Camerons is set to notch up a half century of pubs after agreeing terms to buy 11 new venues.

Completion of the deal later this month will bring the company's tied estate up to the 52 mark and edge numbers nearer a target figure of 100 pubs. Six of the new houses have been acquired in a package, with the remaining five acquired on a piecemeal basis.

MD David Soley said the new pubs would give valuable extra barrelage to Camerons' Lion Brewery at Hartlepool where the bulk of the business currently centres on contract brewing.

"The addition of new pubs will also allow us to churn our estate and offload some bottom end houses," Soley revealed. "We are expanding our pubs on an ongoing basis and looking at possible purchases all the time.

"There is tremendous competition for new pubs as they go on the market but part of our strategy has been to rely on local knowledge to keep ahead of the opposition."

The vast bulk of Camerons' estate, comprised predominantly of tenanted pubs, is located in the north east, but it is hoped further acquisitions will see the company expand out of its home territory. The company's acquisition trail began from an almost standing start in 2002 when the brewery was acquired by Soley's Castle Eden Brewery.

Brewing volumes have risen dramatically over the past four years and output currently stands at 300,000 barrels per year.

Flagship ale brands include Strongarm and Castle Eden, while brewing and bottling of Kronenbourg for Scottish & Newcastle remains a major contract business.