Davenports Acquire Perfect Village Pub!

Davenports Brewery, established in Birmingham in 1829, boasts a large portfolio of award-winning pubs alongside its brewery business, and today added another venue to the impressive line-up, The Red Lion, in Bradley, Staffordshire. This delightful village pub is nestled in the rural village of Bradley, near the county town of Stafford. Set in its own gardens, it dates to the 17th Century and boasts a host of original features. Commenting on the acquisition, Katie McPhilimey Associate Marketing Director for Davenports said; “Baron Davenport was very excited to add this village pub to the Davenports stable, the village is idyllic, and we’ve been so heartened by the many locals that have reached out to us to enquire when we would be opening the doors. In addition to questions over our foodie offering, some locals have asked if we will be serving Guinness, as the previous owners stopped for some reason. They are thrilled when I tell them that Davenports has always had an excellent relationship with the owners of Guinness, as Davenports was one of very few breweries licensed to bottle it many, many decades ago! So yes, we will be serving that as well great homemade pub classics, seasonal dishes, and our own extremely popular award-winning ales.” Baron W R Davenport, Managing Director of the company added; “Bradley is a wonderful village, and the perfect backdrop for such a picture-perfect pub. The refurbishment will take around six weeks and will ensure that the pub offers the perfect environment for guests dining and drinking with us. The Red Lion will sit within our Boutique collection, which boasts pubs that are unique in their offering, be that because of the décor, or the style of food and drink, and it will serve up Great British hospitality to all who come through the door.” Other Davenports venues near to The Red Lion include the award-winning pub with rooms, The Littleton Arms in Penkridge, as well as The Elms in Shareshill. Ends For more information, please contact katie.mcphilimey@davenports.co.ukDavenports Brewery Interesting Facts Davenports was established in 1829. 1902: A new branch of the business started – manufacturing, bottling, and delivering Davenports non-deposit ale and stout. 1904: Davenports C.B Ltd, registered to supply ‘pure bottled ale and stout at the cheapest possible price’. Quickly reaching delivery to 15,000 homes. Famous Legal Battle: In 1905 Davenports was accused of ‘Beer Hawking’, selling beer by retail at a place where they were not authorised (beer at home), It was viewed as a hugely important prosecution, fought brilliantly, and won by the very theatrical barrister, Mr Marshall-Hall K.C, on behalf of Davenports in the Victoria Law Courts. Marshall-Hall was later knighted. Davenports had paved the way for other brewers to follow a similar scheme. The Co-operative beer bottle…A Double Inducement:  Within a month of the dismissal of the beer hawking accusation, C.B Ltd launched its prospectus to potential shareholders in the company, which already had proven ‘progressive, substantial, and satisfactory.’ Half of the shares were Ordinary and were divided equally between the three directors and John Davenport and Sons brewery, and half were advertised as customers’ shares. Those who bought them had to commit to buying ten shillings’ worth of bottled ale (CB) or Stour (CS) over a six-month period; if they did not do this, they had to sell their shares at the paid-up value. Holders of these shares were entitled to a 5% cumulative preference dividend and half of the surplus profits of the company in proportion to what they had spent in the year after 5% had been paid to the Ordinary shareholders. The FT wryly dubbed the scheme ‘A Co-operative Beer Bottle,’ more seriously and optimistically, Davenports advertised it as ‘devised to give EVERY shareholder a double inducement to further the interests of the Company.’ Early pioneers in advertising. By 1910, it was obvious that much thought was put into making advertisements lively, pertinent, and appealing. With Davenports seen in national press. 1922 Motorised lorries expanded delivery capability. Technology: in 1930, The Birmingham Daily Gazette stressed that few of Davenports’ rivals could claim to be as modern in equipment as Davenports which boasted ‘The very latest appliances that science and mechanics have evolved’. In total, three batteries of machines with ten machines in each turned out 120,000 bottles of beer every day!Continued Investment: More investment in the bottling plant meant that a few years later, Davenports were capable of 24,000 bottles per hour! Pioneers of Recycling: In the 1930’s, Davenports championed recycling bottles that were returned by customers. Scrupulously cleaned and chilled for reuse in two automatic bottle washing machines at the rate of 12,000 per hour. 1937: More than 250,000 regular customers. Famous Slogan: In 1939, the ‘Beer at Home Means Davenports’ slogan was first introduced. That Jingle: Davenports gained much publicity from an advert that featured marketing director Carl Daniels and a catchy ditty: Beer at Home means Davenports,That’s the beer, lots of cheer.The finest hops with malt and yeastTurns a snack into a feast.Straight from brewery to your home,Why collect, we’ll deliver.Soon you’ll know why folks all say,Beer at Home means Davenports. Costing little to make, it was credited with boosting sales to such an extent that in 1973 Davenports’ profits reached just under £1million compared to £86,000 in 1961.   2021: Despite the terrible impact of the pandemic on the industry, Davenports managed to acquire new pubs and venues, refurbish existing pubs whilst also launching ‘Beer at Home’. Making A Difference: Reducing box size and lessening void fills all adds to reducing lorries on roads each year. 2022: The Queens Head opened its doors on Steelhouse Lane Birmingham 2022: The Coach House wins Best Pub or Bar in Coventry & Warwickshire 2022 at the Foodie Awards. 2022: The Coach House wins Best Pub, Bar or Restaurant at The Stratford Herald Business & Tourism Awards. 2022: Davenports returns the brand to Kidderminster with the opening of The Post House, formerly the site of The Red Man pub. 2023: January, Davenports add the award-winning Littleton Arms in Penkridge to their portfolio. 2023: February, Davenports launches Drum Bitter, 3.6% ABV. 2023: The Coach House is the only Midlands pub through to the prestigious Finals of Great British Pub Awards 2023. Four pubs from London, on from Liverpool and The Coach House! 2023: The Coach House is through to the finals of the West Midlands Combined Authority Tourism Awards 2024, Best Pub…the winner is announced March 2024 2023: Davenports Brewery invest over £250,000 into new brewery facilities at their HQ. John Spellar MP unveils a plaque to celebrate the investment. 2023: The Coach House wins Best Pub, BAR OR Restaurant and Best Customer Experience at the prestigious Stratford Herald Business & Tourism Awards 2023. 2023: Old Ale is relaunched in time for Christmas. 2024: The Post House rebrands as a My Local by Davenports. 2024: February, launch of the new My Local pub, The Butler’s Bell 2024: May, Davenports launches its brand-new Loyalty Card at The Met, which will be rolled out to 2024: August, Davenports acquire The Crown in Kings Heath which will be refurbished and rebranded into a My Local by Davenports. 2024: October: The Kings Arms (formerly The Crown in Kings Heath) opens its doors as a My Local. May 2025: Davenports launch the VE Day 80th Anniversary celebratory box of ales and offer a £1.50 pint of Drum Bitter across its estate to mark the anniversary. May 2025: Davenports Brewery acquire The Red Lion in Bradley, Staffordshire.

For more information, please contact katie.mcphilimey@davenports.co.uk

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