Carlsberg to close Ringwood Brewery after failing to find a buyer

The Hampshire-based brewery and shop will cease to operate from January 2024, according to the plans. CMBC said that the decision was taken after it had failed to find a buyer for the business.

As a result, production of Ringwood beers will be transferred to other locations within the CMBC network of breweries, while the Hampshire site will be sold off. Brewing for the cask variants of Razorback, Fortyniner and Boondoggle is set to be moved to Banks’s Brewery, while Old Thumper cask brewing will go to Marston’s Brewery.

Razorback, Boondoggle and Fortyniner bottles are already brewed at the Marston’s site, while the logistics side of the business has been moved to the Tiverton and Farnborough sites.

It was announced last month that CMBC was investing £10m in its Northampton brewery​​ as part of a bid to reduce packaging and water waste.

‘Difficult decision’ for Carlsberg to make

Ahead of the plans being implemented in the new year, CMBC will consult with the 10 members of staff currently working at the Ringwood site. The brewery will continue to operate during this period.

Paul Davies, chief executive at CMBC, commented: “Having, over the last 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. 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​.”

In other news, Food Manufacture spoke to Welsh brewer Hive Mind Mead & Brew Co about its award-winning traditional mead.​​