£45m investment in Samlesbury Brewery will bring 23 new jobs

Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I has announced a £115 million investment in its two major UK breweries in Lancashire and South Wales, creating 55 new jobs..
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

The commitment comes at a time when the UK begins looking forward to recovering from the economic and employment impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Budweiser Brewing Group, part of AB InBev, is a proud British brewer with a strong presence in the UK, brewing some of the nation’s favourite beers including Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona and Bud Light.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It has been brewing in Samlesbury since 1972, and Magor since 1979, and is an important local employer in its communities, employing more than 1,000 people across the two sites.

Samlesbury Brewery, near PrestonSamlesbury Brewery, near Preston
Samlesbury Brewery, near Preston

At Samlesbury, it will mean 23 new jobs.

The investment is good news for the UK economy after a tough year and underlines the value of the beer industry. In the UK, the beer sector as a whole is responsible for nearly 900,000 brewing and pub jobs and the value of these jobs to the UK economy is £22.9 billion.

The primary focus of Budweiser Brewing Group’s investment will be installing modern and eco-friendly infrastructure at both breweries to increase capacity in brewing, canning and bottling by the equivalent of 630 million pints a year once all projects are complete.

As a result, by the end of 2021, the company will have hired 55 new employees across both sites.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In Samlesbury, there will be a £45m investment; the installation of a new canning line for new sustainable plastic ring-free cans – increasing canning capacity; multiple modifications in brewing, utilities and logistics – increasing brewing capacity; 23 new jobs in operational and specialist engineering roles; and brewery-wide efficiency and equipment improvements, including a boiler system upgrade.

These improvements will enable Budweiser Brewing Group to meet the growing demand for beer, which reached its highest sales levels on record last year in the Off-Trade, seeing 19.6 per cent growth in Q3, and 23.4 per cent in Q4.

Paula Lindenberg, President, Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I, said: “Like many in the UK, we are focussed on a strong recovery of our economy, our communities and our country. By investing in our breweries with new roles and new technology to increase capacity, we’re ensuring that we can brew and deliver great beers for many years to come.

“We know the beer industry is hugely valuable to the UK economy, and we believe our investments in our UK operations will be a catalyst for the recovery post-Covid.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Volodimir Kukuruza, Brewery Manager at Samlesbury Brewery, said: “It’s fantastic to be in the position to grow our brewery and our team. This ongoing investment makes us one of the most appealing employers in Preston, and we look forward to supporting the area to a strong recovery.”

Throughout the Covid period, the breweries were able to remain open and operational to keep Britain’s best-loved beers on supermarket shelves.

Teams at Magor and Samlesbury were also quick to support the local communities around them, adapting production to create and distribute more than 10,000 litres of hand sanitiser and disinfectant for frontline workers in care homes, doctors’ surgeries, police and fire services, and other vital services.

Related topics: