Forum Topic

Should we have concerns over Fullers Brewery?

As most of you know the brewery side of the business was sold to an overseas conglomerate a while back.With this in mind and press coverage of other brewers in financial straits is there a question mark hanging over Fullers?I believe the buyers promised to continue to produce London Pride for at least ten years but if this becomes unprofitable will they hesitate to shut the operation down and redevelop?History tells us they won't.

Adrian Irving ● 1482d21 Comments

Other beers are available

Andy Jacobs ● 1482d

Not sure the problem is so much on the brewers side unless your a small operation which Asahi are certainly not. They can easily put money on its beer but the running and costs of the pubs themselves is where the problem is. Straight away you need to sell the product for more money and then you need to double or treble your sales to keep the electric and gas on. When your clients cant afford to buy and seel and close that is when the brewery itself becomes a problem

Julian Pavey ● 1482d

Asahi/Fullers are going to have to massively increase the uptake in the off trade to compensate for the impending pub closures. The problem is that Pride, ESB and Honeydew do not 'carry' well into bottle and cans. Other beers have been brewed to taste 'better' from a bottle.

N V Brooks ● 1482d

Bengal Lancer is good from the bottle.Not available often enough IMHO.I prefer Pride from cans - it's less gassy than the bottle version.

Will Watson ● 1482d

Various parts of this large site are Grade II or (the closed pub) Grade II* listed, so it would be difficult for a developer to get a planning app approved. Having said that, Asahi could aways have their brands brewed at another large brewery, just as Young's did when they closed their Wandsworth brewery.

Paul Charlton ● 1482d

As I understand it the brewing part of the business was sold to Asahi while Fuller Smith and Turner retained the hospitality arm. Wikipedia says that consists of 380 pubs and hotels across the country. I presume there is some sort of arrangement that the pubs will continue to prioritise Fullers/Asahi products, but either way the whole industry is in for a tough time. "A pint and five straws please Landlord. We'll be over there, under a blanket, by the candle."

Bruce Hammal ● 1482d

With the price of Pride in some Fuller's pubs now that's already the case.

N V Brooks ● 1482d

According to BBC News yesterday if the increase in costs to pub landlords were fully reflected in the price of a pint of beer, it would cost £14.85. Cheers!

Bruce Hammal ● 1482d

Pint of Pride in the George & Devonshire was £4.80 at the weekend. I'm not going to panic yet!

Jeffrey Cope ● 1482d

Let's' hope they survive the storm that is surely coming asfor me it is part of Chiswick's identity. It may surprise some people I had a holiday job for them delivering booze to the locals on a push bike. No EVs in those days!Bruce, I did like your Blitz styled humour, I think we are going to need more of it in the not to distant future.

Adrian Irving ● 1482d

When families were crammed in one room, with multiple families in a house, it was to the pub people went to relax.  If libraries still close most nights at 5.30 (and there aren't all that many chairs in a library), maybe the pubs will come into their own again as warm places. Pay a bit more for the beer but still save some on heating.

Vivienne Cox ● 1482d

The only cask beer I liked that they brewed was Chiswick Bitter.I find their beer disappointing and usually very expensive.I was in the Village Inn in Hanwell recently,nice friendly and well maintained proper local pub, and the well kept and perfectly poured Guiness was £3.50 a pint.I walked down to the Viaduct later to see some friends,£5.60 for the same beer, except it was not particularly well kept or poured.

Keith Iddon ● 1482d

Japanese companies have been buying up brands including Sipsmith and I would imagine for Asahi the wonderfully sited and historic brewery forms part of that package. Obviously the development potential of the site is huge but they probably, at this stage, would value the London Pride name higher in the belief they can expand sales significantly globally. What they could still do however, is make operations in the brewery largely symbolic moving the main facilities elsewhere and separate off the non-listed parts of the site for development. They might choose to do this on a piecemeal basis so that it slips under the radar.

Jeremy Parkinson ● 1482d

Thanks Adrian. Contrary to appearances it was all over (the Blitz that is) by the time I showed up. Though I do still have my National Identity Card issued to me at the age of 6 months  and I remember Ration Coupons which persisted well into the 1950s. If the worst happens and there are no pubs left, I heartily recommend home brewing as an affordable substitute - or at least it was. I don't do it any more as I no longer drink alcohol, but its easy, rewarding, and there are some excellent kits available. I did once even brew a homemade version of London Pride!

Bruce Hammal ● 1482d

Vivienne, I like your lateral thinking. However I decided to spend as much time as possible in Marks and Spencer before Winter so that I become acclimatised to severe cold then there will be no need to switch on the heating or spend money in pubs.Put that in your pipe and smoke it Putin!

Adrian Irving ● 1482d

BH: "According to BBC News yesterday if the increase in costs to pub landlords were fully reflected in the price of a pint of beer, it would cost £14.85. Cheers!"Not quite. They claimed that if the (threefold) increase in energy costs were fully reflected etc, a pint would cost £14.85.That would only apply if energy costs (heat, light, refridgeration, power etc) were the only costs incurred (they're not), or if all other costs (rent, rates, staff wages and the beer itself!) increased similarly (they haven't).None of which is to deny the real dangers facing many of our much-loved pubs.But I would fear equally or another British institution, the BBC, if that sort of garbage now passes for "reporting".

Richard Cathcart ● 1482d

I have drank some wonderful home brew beers including an 'altbeer' from a German kit that was virtually indistinguishable from ESB.  My own attempts would probably have been better given a commercial life as a drain cleaner they were that bad.

N V Brooks ● 1482d

Richard, it was a single line delivered by the reporter and clearly did what a headline should do! I presumed the other variable elements were included. I'm sure staff costs have risen too not to mention the wholesale cost of the products which I'm sure are also on an upward spiral. Didn't I read recently  that the brewers were having trouble sourcing raw ingredients due to a combination of Ukraine and reduced yields due to the weather? £14.85 might turn out to be a bit of a bargain. You are right - the "thousand cuts" the BBC has suffered are certainly  starting to show. That and a desire to give the people what our masters have decreed is what they want.

Bruce Hammal ● 1482d

BH: "Richard, it was a single line delivered by the reporter and clearly did what a headline should do!"RC: Rather than a mere "single line", it was in fact the closing line of the report i.e. maximum impact. And I have to say, while a "headline" should indeed attract attention, it should not do so by employing such gross exaggeration as to be thoroughly misleading.BH: "I presumed the other variable elements were included."RC: From having heard the report myself, I agree it was an easy assumption to make - I had to question it with my other half, who was also watching. But the fact it was unclear does not make it any better.KI: "I'm sure staff costs have risen too"RC: No doubt (if not by x 3, mind). But either way, you'd never have gleaned any extra information from that report.

Richard Cathcart ● 1482d

Horses for courses  I don't think you will get a pint of cask ale in the Village Inn. Try the Fox  a pint of Pride or one of their guest ales , £4.40.

David Burke ● 1482d

True, David.I'll bet you can't get a pint in most Fuller's pubs for £4.40.Some of us don't like their beer and I drink Guinness when no cask pale ale is available.I used to like the Chiswick Bitter but,same as many things I like in life,is not available anymore.I was just highlighting that the suggested £14.95 for a pint will probably be used as a target price by Fuller's in the not too distant whilst many other pubs,often freehouses, are trying their best to provide good value.

Keith Iddon ● 1481d