Spanish brewer SA Damm plans to acquire first UK brewery

Carlsberg Marstons Brewing Company (CMBC) is planning to sell the Eagle Brewery in Bedford to Spanish brewer SA Damm for an undisclosed sum.

The site will become the first Damm brewery outside of mainland Europe and only its second outside of Spain.

Damm is best known in the UK as brewer of Estrella Damm beer, which has been packaged at the Eagle Brewery since 2010.

The deal is expected to complete by the end of the year and will see all 67 production staff at the site join Damm’s workforce in the UK.

Demetrio Carceller Arce, executive president of Damm, said: “This deal will strengthen our position in the UK market and help drive our brand in the UK, a key market for the company’s international growth.

"The British public can currently enjoy our products in more than 10,000 bars and restaurants, a figure we expect to continue to grow in the coming years.”

The Eagle Brewery was first opened in 1976 by the Duke of Gloucester.

All its beers, which include Brooklyn Pilsner and Birrificio Angelo Poretti, will remain part of CMBC’s portfolio.

The Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) said the deal showed the dominance of global brewers in the UK beer market and that it was becoming “impossible” for smaller producers to compete.

The deal is the second sale announced by CMBC this year. In September the brewer said it was exploring the saleof the historic Jennings Brewery in Cumbria, which closed in November.

Image: JJFarq / Shutterstock