Young's restructure nears completion

London pub company Young's is continuing to streamline itself following the sale of its Wandsworth brewery last year.

With new offices due to open near the brewery site the company, which still has more than 200 tenanted, leased and managed pubs in London and across the South East, has announced that around 20 head office staff are being made redundant.

The redundancies, which include property director Tom Hutchings, are being made as Young's has come to realise that certain posts which were appropriate when the company was a vertically integrated brewer are no longer required.

Young's moves into its new offices by the Thames in April. In a statement the board said a consultation process had begun with all affected employees.

"This is expected to be complete by the end of March. It is anticipated that about 20 jobs will be affected, across all parts of the business," said the company.

"This is the final phase of the restructuring programme and will ensure Young's operating structure and cost base is aligned with its ongoing business."

Young's brewing and wholesaling activities merged into the Wells & Young's Brewing Company last May - while the Ram brewery, which had been operated by Young's since 1831, has been sold to property developer Minerva for £69m.

Last month Young's chief executive Stephen Goodyear told thepublican.com an investment programme in its pubs, together with acquisitions funded by the sale of the brewery, would take the retail side of the group onwards and upwards.