UK: Carlsberg signs Tetley's beer deals

By just-drinks.com editorial team | 2 March 2010

Tetley's brewing to remain in UK

Carlsberg has signed deals to split brewing of its Tetley's beer in the UK between Molson Coors and Marston's.

For the first time, brewing of Tetley's cask ale will be moved outside of the UK county of Yorkshire, after the closure of Carlsberg's brewery in Leeds in 2011.

Midlands-based ale brewer Marston's has signed a deal with Carlsberg to take over the brewing licence, a spokesperson for Carlsberg UK confirmed today (2 March).

Tetley's Smoothflow, meanwhile, will be brewed at Molson Coors UK's Tadcaster brewery in North Yorkshire.

Carlsberg has been seeking to outsource Tetley's brewing for more than a year, following its decision to close the Leeds brewery.

In December last year, Carlsberg announced that it will increase capacity at its Northampton brewery from 4.5m hectolitres to 6m per year, following the Leeds closure.

Senior vice president of Carlsberg group supply chain, Kasper Madsen, said: "The move forms part of the Carlsberg Group supply chain strategy for Northern & Western Europe built around concentrating production at fewer sites to optimise our supply chain structure."

Carlsberg last week predicted a 20% rise in profits in 2010, despite tough beer market conditions from London to Moscow.