Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company announces sale of the Eagle Brewery to long-term partner Damm

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) has today announced plans to sell the Eagle Brewery in Bedford to its long-term partner, the Spanish brewer S.A. Damm (Damm), best known in the UK as the brewer of the popular premium beer, Estrella Damm. The Eagle Brewery’s beers will continue to be sold as part of CMBC’s portfolio.

An ambitious new step for Damm in the UK, the Eagle Brewery will become Damm’s first brewery outside of mainland Europe and only the second Damm brewery outside of Spain.

CMBC and Damm are working together closely on the transition and expect the sale to complete by the end of this year. As part of the agreement, the Eagle Brewery’s beers will remain part of CMBC’s vibrant and diverse portfolio, ranging from world beers Birrificio Angelo Poretti and Brooklyn Pilsner to British ale brands Hobgoblin and Wainwright.

CMBC and Damm have enjoyed a long, successful partnership distributing Estrella Damm, with the UK being one of Estrella Damm’s key export markets. Much of the partnership’s activity has taken place at the Eagle Brewery, where Estrella Damm has been packaged for the UK market since 2010.

All 67 production colleagues working at the Eagle Brewery will transfer over to Damm’s workforce in the UK and will be supported by CMBC through the transition. CMBC’s logistics operation in Bedford will continue from its current location on the site for around the next 12 months, before moving to a new location.

Paul Davies, CEO, CMBC, said: “We are pleased to be able to share the news of our deal with our long-term partner Damm, building on our successful relationship to help ensure the brewery’s prosperity.

“I am grateful to all of my colleagues and their counterparts at Damm for their collaboration throughout the process of making this agreement a reality. This significant moment for the brewery, becoming Damm’s first brewery outside mainland Europe, has been made possible thanks to the brilliant and dedicated team at the Eagle Brewery, who we will be supporting throughout the transition.”

Demetrio Carceller Arce, Executive President, Damm, said: “We are delighted to announce, with our partner CMBC, the purchase of the Eagle Brewery and to welcome the brewery’s 67 employees into the Damm family.

“This deal will strengthen our position in the UK market and help drive our brand in the UK, a key market for the company’s international growth. The British public can currently enjoy our products in more than 10,000 bars and restaurants, a figure we expect to continue to grow in the coming years.”

-ENDS-

Notes to Editors

Estrella Damm has been distributed by CMBC in the UK since 2009. As part of the new long-term agreement between CMBC and Damm, from 1 January 2023, Estrella Damm will now be distributed to UK On Trade national accounts and in the Off Trade channel by Damm, while CMBC will exclusively continue to sell Estrella Damm to the Wholesale and Independent Free Trade channels.
The Eagle Brewery currently belongs to Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC), a joint venture created in 2020 between Carlsberg UK and Marston’s PLC. The brewery is located in Bedford (Havelock Street, MK40 4LU) in the UK.
Damm’s products are currently available in more than one hundred countries around the world. Since its arrival in the UK in the late 1980s, the company has been building its position in the British market and the UK is now one of Damm’s major export markets. It offers a wide range of beers: Estrella Damm, Inedit, Daura Free Damm, Free Damm Lemon, Free Damm, Complot, Damm Lemon, and Christmas Beer. Victoria, the beer of Malaga, is currently being launched in the UK.

Contacts

For further information or any enquiries regarding CMBC, please contact Ed Halliday, PR & Communications Executive, at:

E: edward.halliday@carlsbergmarstons.co.uk

M: +44 7514 315 415

For information about Damm and Estrella Damm, please contact Frederic Segarra Gurria, Communications Director, at:

E: fsegarra@damm.es

M: +34 600 931 306

About Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC) is one of the newest, historic brewers in the UK. Formed out of a joint venture between Carlsberg UK and Marston’s PLC, who are both shareholders, the brewer combines over 300 years of shared values, history and heritage in UK brewing.

The brewer provides its customers and consumers with an unrivalled portfolio of beer brands from the very best of two master brewing teams, plus those under license from valued partners. These include lagers such as Carlsberg Danish Pilsner, Carlsberg Expørt and Birrificio Angelo Poretti; premium cask and packaged ales, including Hobgoblin and Wainwright; brands under license including San Miguel, Shipyard, and Erdinger; a broad selection of alcohol-free beers; and distribution of the Brooklyn Brewery craft portfolio.

CMBC also owns and operates a brewery and distribution network across the UK, including the Carlsberg brewery in Northampton; Marston’s in Burton upon Trent; Banks’s in Wolverhampton; Wychwood in Witney, Oxfordshire; and Ringwood in Hampshire; plus, a National Distribution Centre in Northampton and 15 UK-wide distribution depots.

About Damm

Damm is currently present in more than 130 countries. The company was founded in 1876 by the Alsatian brewing master August Kuentzmann Damm and today is one of the main Spanish leaders in the food and beverage trade, with a presence in hospitality, logistics and distribution. It has 17 production plants in the Iberian Peninsula, where it produces and packs more than 19M hectoliters of beer, water, soft drinks, milk and shakes per year. In 2021 its turnover reached 1,488 million euros and the total workforce of the company stood at 5,100 people at the end of the year.

The UK market is one of the most relevant international markets for Damm. Since its arrival in the UK in the late 1980s, the company has increased its presence fast and today its beers are served in more than 10,000 bars and restaurants and its products are available in the main British supermarket chains.

Press release from Golin.