The British Beer and Pub Association has reacted to news that US president Donald Trump has updated aluminium tariffs to include canned beer, which will now attract a 25% tariff.
“British beer is renowned globally and the US is one of the most important markets for British brewers, who, in 2024, exported £126 million of beer across the Atlantic,” said chief executive Emma McClarkin.
“A 25% tariff on beer imported into the US is a direct hit to the brewers of the UK, who contribute so much to this country’s economy and heritage.
“We urge the government to defend the great British brewing industry and strike a deal which removes these harmful tariffs. With the enormous cost of doing business, many British brewers won’t be able to sustain a hit such as this from one of our biggest trading partners.”
• Revenue at Wells & Co rose 5.6% to £65.8m in the year to 30th September 2024, with group EBITDA up to £9.9m, a £400,000 increase on 2023.
In the UK, EBITDA for the organisation’s managed house estate of 28 sites achieved an additional £1.1m, with the 130 leased and tenanted businesses delivering performance that was consistent with the previous 12 months.
Significant investment in the core range of Brewpoint beers last year, rebranded and named after Josephine Wells, the wife of founder Charles Wells, saw considerable growth in sales of own-brewed beer of 125%. This was fuelled by demand in both the on- and free trade.
Investment in the group’s estate was further up in the financial year, with this investment funded by the disposal of land and assets that were no longer driving a return on investment.
“As we look ahead to our coming financial year, we recognise the challenges we face will continue,” said Wells & Co chief executive Peter Wells. “The impact of the government’s October budget, due to be introduced in April, will add considerable burden to our cost base if we do nothing to mitigate.
“Over the last few months we have been working up a number of plans to ensure we can deliver a fantastic service and experience to our customers, while continuing to sustainably grow the business year on year.
“Our focus for the upcoming financial year is to continually seek opportunities for investment, in the UK and France, to ensure that our sites remain visually competitive and to enable us to grow our estate, both in terms of managed sites as well as working with best-in-class partners.”
• JD Wetherspoon has hired property agent Christie & Co to seek out franchise partners, with a particular focus on hoteliers.
“As hotel operators look to maximise their profits and utilise spaces, the effort required to develop their bars and restaurants can be viewed as risky in the current environment, and even the best performing hotels can have underperforming bars and restaurants,” said the agent.
“Wetherspoon franchise partners will have the opportunity to create a highly effective bar/restaurant through the cost-effective conversion of an existing space to become a Wetherspoon site.”
Partners will have support from the pub company’s design teams, access to their supply chain, training, and marketing resources, and benefit from their “tried and trusted” skills in running successful hospitality businesses.
In addition to hoteliers, enquires are welcome from other sectors. The first Wetherspoon franchised pub opened in January 2022 in Hull University’s student union, followed by a second at Newcastle University in September 2023.The third is sited at Haven’s Primrose Valley Holiday Park in Filey, North Yorkshire. The company expects to open a further five franchise pubs in the second half of this financial year.
• Hartlepool-based Camerons Brewery has reported EBITDA of £4.6m in the year to 5th January, an increase of £700,000 year on year. Turnover was down to £60.2m from £61.5m due to the prior year including six months trading from a group of 26 pubs that were sold in June 2023.
