Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company to sell Ringwood Brewery site

RINGWOOD Brewery and shop is set to close in January after its owners were unable to sell the business.

Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company (CMBC), which bought the business in 2007, has been trying to sell the New Forest operation since June.

The company is now proposing selling the site and transferring the production of its Ringwood brands to its other breweries.

The logistics side of the operation has already been moved to CMBC’s Tiverton and Farnborough sites.

CMBC chief executive Paul Davies said: “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.”

He added: “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.”

CMBC said it plans to transfer the brewing of its cask variants Razorback, Fortyniner and Boondoggle 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.

CMBC said that over the coming weeks, it will consult on the proposed Ringwood Brewery site sale with the 10 staff who work there. The brewery will continue to operate during this period.