CMBC plans to shut Ringwood Brewery after operation fails to sell
Under the proposals, the site will be put up for sale with the production of Ringwood brands moved to other CMBC breweries.
This includes brewing for cask variants of Razorback, Fortyniner and Boondoggle are set to be moved to Banks’s Brewery in while Old Thumper cask brewing would go to Marston’s Brewery.
Moreover, the logistics side of the business has already been moved to CMBC’s Tiverton and Farnborough sites.
Difficult decision
Ringwood was founded by Peter Austin initially in 1978 and moved to its current premises in 1986 after outgrowing its previous location. In 2007, Marston’s Brewery bought Ringwood for £19.2m.
CMBC will consult on the proposals with the 10 staff members who work at the site and the brewery will continue to operate during this time.
CEO Paul Davies said: “Having, over the past six months, been unable to secure a sale of our Ringwood Brewery operation in Hampshire, we have made the difficult decision to announce our intention to close the site.
“Given its limited space and residential location, the expansion and improvements required for the site to be competitive would be challenging and extremely costly."
Company priority
He added: “While we believe this is the right course of action for our business, it is by no means a decision we have taken lightly.
“We are incredibly proud of the effort and dedication of our people at Ringwood Brewery – our priority now is to support colleagues affected by the proposals through the consultation period, which has now begun.”
The company announced it was planning to sell the site in June this year, citing its location being in a residential area making expansion complicated as part of the reason.
Furthermore, in September, CMBC revealed it was set to shut Wychwood Brewery in Witney, Oxfordshire.
Beers including Hobgoblin Ales and Firecatcher have continued to be brewed within the CMBC network.
