Beer
Marston’s celebrates Queen’s 90th with new ale
The new ‘One is 90’ pale ale has an ABV of 3.6% and will be available to all Marston’s customers from this month until after the birthday celebrations.
Marketing manager Lee Williams said: “We hope that our customers join us in raising a toast to a lady that has been the centre of our Royal Family for 90 majestic years.
“For Marston’s it was only right to join the celebrations for a special event that celebrates a woman who was born a Princess in 1926, married at 21, became Queen at 25, has a reign that has spanned 12 Prime Ministers and visited over 116 countries.”
Last month Prime Minister David Cameron announced plans to allow pubs to extend their opening hours on the 10 and 11 of June this year to mark the Queen’s birthday. The Queen's birthday is on 21 April, but official celebrations will be held on 11 June.
He said: “We have seen in budget after budget this Government supporting the pub industry as such an important part of our economy and [an] important part of rural communities.”
In October last year Marston’s reported like-for-like (lfl) sales in its managed estate up 1.8%, with its taverns reporting growth of 2% and its leased sites a growth of 4%. Food lfl’s were up 1.7% for the year ending 3 October.
In the same year the firm agreed to buy the trading operation of Daniel Thwaites’ beer arm for £25.1m. As part of the acquisition Marston’s entered a long-term exclusive agreement to supply all beer, wine, spirits and minerals to Thwaites’ pub estate.
In 2014 the company invested hundreds of millions of pounds into its operations, including a new £7.4m bottling facility in Burton-on-Trent, which was expected to help the packaged business grow by 10% year-on-year.
At the time managing director Richard Westwood said: “At a time when Marston’s beers feature in one in four premium bottled beers in the UK, this investment was a move to future-proof our business.”
Marston’s investments
Further multi-million pound projects were announced later in 2014 when Marston’s revealed plans to open five pubs a year in Scotland in its first venture north of the border.
Marston’s in brands:
- Marston’s Inns and Taverns
- Marston’s Inns
- Pitcher and Piano
- Revere Pub Company
Each year the company would spend £15m to complete its expansion into the country, where it would scour 29 suitable locations within Scotland and create 200 new jobs.
The pub company is still searching for new sites in the north of England and Scotland and at the time of the announcement head of acquisitions Steve Roberts said: “We are on the lookout for locations in our target towns and cities that front main roads, are on retail parks or are close to residential developments of more than 500 homes.”
Marston’s website currently says: “We are also acquiring for our high street brand Pitcher and Piano and Revere Pub Company (our premium pub and hotel company) and we are due to open three of these sites next year.”
The Pitcher and Piano on the quayside in Newcastle’s upon-Tyne was recently renovated.
