Bath Ales is to share a new 40,000 sq ft storage and distribution depot in Avonmouth, near Bristol, with parent group St Austell after running out of space at its expanding Hare Brewery.
St Austell, the Cornish brewery and pubs group that acquired Bath Ales last year, already has a 14,000 sq ft distribution facility in the area. It decided to centralise its logistics operations as part of its multi-million pound upgrade of Bath Ale’s Hare Brewery at Warmley, between Bath and Bristol.
Due for completion next May, the work will more than double production at the brewery with a capacity of up to 50,000 brewers’ barrels – equivalent to more than 14.5m pints. New bottling and canning facilities will also form part of the expansion plans.
St Austell head of supply chain Kevin Andrews said once work started on the new brewhouse to double the capacity of the Bath Ales output it was obvious that there would not be adequate space for storage and distribution at Hare House.
“So it gave us the perfect opportunity to find a bigger and better site to merge the Bath Ales distribution with the existing St Austell Avonmouth distribution team,” he said.
Several factors were considered before the decision was taken to open the new depot in Avonmouth, with accessibility, location and the scope for growth key drivers in the decision-making process. The proximity of the new distribution hub to existing facilities also ensured continuity for customers while the transfer of stocks was carried out.
With increased stockholding and improved service operations, the new Avonmouth depot forms part of a wider strategic move by St Austell Brewery to improve its logistics network and increase its South West coverage, enabling the business to be more responsive to customer needs.
Kevin added: “As a company we have a group barrelage target of 170,000 brewer’s barrels by 2020. With double digit growth in the Bristol area and now with a larger distribution centre to work from, we are well on our way to achieving that and another step closer to securing our position as the regional brewer and supplier of choice for the South West.”
The new depot will be managed by Tom Abrahams, who joined St Austell Brewery earlier this year with extensive experience in similar roles at Gregory Distribution and at Heineken.
St Austell Brewery took over Bath Ales, its portfolio of beer brands and its 11-strong pub estate in July last year, including The Hop Pole and The Salamander pubs in Bath.
Its Graze bar and restaurant next to Bath Spa railway station also features a microbrewery. Bath Ales’ beer brands include its flagship Gem bitter, Barnsey, Dark Side, Wild Hare and Ginger Hare.
St Austell Brewery was founded in 1851 and owns 167 pubs across the South West. Best known for Tribute Cornish Pale Ale, Proper Job IPA and Korev lager, it reached the landmark figure of 100,000 brewer’s barrels (163,659 hectolitres) of its own brand beers last year – equivalent to 28.8m pints.
Pictured at the new depot, from left: Lee Jasper, Danny Crabb, Tom Abrahams, Ian Blunt and Kevin Andrews
