The January blues do not apply to award-winning Birmingham based brewery and pub company, Davenports which was established in 1829, as they start the year with a new acquisition. Davenports are delighted to add the Littleton Arms in Penkridge to their portfolio.
The Littleton Arms is a lovely 18th Century, Grade II listed coaching inn with 10 beautiful rooms that whilst modern and comfortable, also retain some of those wonderful features. Award-winning, it was voted Express & Star’s ‘Pub Of The Year’. From brunch to dinner, the focus of the pub is to serve locally sourced, innovative, seasonal food that everyone enjoys, and the team have worked hard to secure its reputation as one of the best independent pubs in Staffordshire. Contemporary and traditional dishes are offered alongside traditional ales, craft beers and handpicked wines whilst an extensive selection of spirits complete the line-up. The Sunday Lunch has a strong reputation amongst locals and visitors alike. In addition to 10 cosy bedrooms for short or long breaks, the pub also boasts a generous heated outdoor space as well as a super location right in the heart of this popular Staffordshire village.
Commenting on the acquisition, Baron W Davenport said; “I have dined many times at the Littleton Arms and have always admired the quality of the food, the welcoming atmosphere and great service – I’ve also envied its wonderful location! Davenports has a large portfolio of pubs and have been investing heavily in many of them – such as The Coach House in Stratford Upon Avon which is multi-award-winning and The Queens Head in Birmingham, they and others represent where the Davenports benchmark sits. We’re excited by what the Littleton Arms adds to our portfolio.”
Chico Uppal, Commercial Director at Davenports added; “This is the first of several new pubs for Davenports in 2023, we have a strong appetite for growth which bucks the trend of our industry as it stands currently. The pub has a wonderful reputation and superb location and with other new pubs up our sleeve, it should be an exciting year for Davenports.”
Ends.
For more information, please email Katie.McPhilimey@davenports.co.uk
Littleton Arms, St. Michaels’ Square, Penkridge, ST19 5AL
www.thelittletonarms.com
Davenports 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 didn’t 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 yeast
Turns 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.
Jan 2023: Davenports acquires the Littleton Arms in Penkridge.
Press release from Davenports.
For more information, please email Katie.McPhilimey@davenports.co.uk