Ossett’s new Salt Brewhouse
A 50% stake in Yorkshire’s Ossett Brewery has been sold to investor Mark Hunter, who will join the board but not take part in the day-to-day running of the company.
The business comprises the brewery and its 26 retail sites, 19 traditional pubs and restaurants, four ale and live music centric bars trading as The HOP, and the recently formed new business of Salt Beer Factory and its own city centre bars branded Craft Asylum.
The brewery will continue to be led by co-owner and pub company founder, Jamie Lawson. Brewery founder Bob Lawson will remain as non-executive chairman.
Mark is new to the industry of brewing and pubs, but is co-founder of Leeds-based software firm BJSS. He will bring strategic experience at board level after growing BJSS into a global leader in its field, with clients including the NHS, government departments and leading FTSE companies, as well as platforms for the Paris and Vienna stock exchanges.
Funding and knowledge
Jamie said: “Since my father founded the brewery in 1998, and I founded the pub company in 2003, we have grown beyond all recognition and merged into one group in 2016.
“Taking on a business partner with Mark’s experience at this time will provide funding and knowledge for the next, really exciting chapter of our growth. Our strategy is to take advantage of our newly developed and modernised brewery in Ossett through increased production, whilst growing our freehold Ossett pub estate.”
Salt Beer Factory, based in the UNESCO village of Saltaire, will begin canning its own products in 2019, with new IPA and lager products launched in keg and canned format. Salt also plans to open new Craft Asylum sites next year after the success of the first two sites in Leeds city centre.
