Whitbread & Co Ltd: Takeover and Closure Trail

Whitbread & Co. Ltd: Takeover and Closure Trail

• H & V Nicholl Ltd, Anchor Brewery, London SE13 were acquired in 1891. Converted into a bottling and distribution centre.
• In 1896, they acquired Gripper Brothers of the Bell Brewery, Tottenham, and used it as a regional depot until the mid 1980s.
• Matthews & Canning of Chelsea amalgamated with Whitbread in 1899 and closed in 1907.
• They acquired part of the tied estate of the Notting Hill Brewery Co Ltd in 1920 when that company ceased brewing.
• Forest Hill Brewery Co Ltd of Lewisham were acquired in 1924.
• In 1927, they acquired Frederick Leney & Sons Ltd, Phoenix Brewery, Wateringbury with 156 public houses.
• Jude, Hanbury & Co. Ltd, Ash & Co and Mackeson & Co Ltd were acquired in 1929. The Mackeson brewery in Hythe survived until 1968, brewing a famous sweet stout.
• Flitton's Brewery Ltd, Stotfold Brewery, Bedfordshire, was acquired in June 1948 and was closed.
• In 1951, Amey's Brewery Ltd of Petersfield, was acquired with 20 public houses and 12 off-licences and brewing ceased.
• In 1953, they acquired Kirkstall Brewery Co Ltd of Leeds and closed the brewery in January 1983.
• Dale & Co Ltd of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire were acquired in 1954 and brewing ceased there in 1958.
• In 1961, they acquired Flowers Breweries Ltd (Luton and Stratford-upon-Avon). The Stratford brewery closed in 1968 and the Luton brewery (ex J W Green) in 1969.
• Tennant Brothers Ltd of Sheffield were acquired in 1961 with 700 tied houses to become Whitbread East Pennines. Whitbreads closed the brewery in 1993.
• They acquired John R Fielder & Son Ltd, Titchfield, Hampshire in March 1961 with 12 tied houses.
• Norman & Pring Ltd of Exeter were acquired in April 1962 with 102 tied houses and Starkey, Knight & Ford Ltd in 1962 with 400 tied houses.
• West Country Breweries Ltd, Cheltenham were acquired in 1963 and became known as Whitbread Flowers Ltd.
• In October 1963, they acquired J. Nimmo & Sons Ltd of Castle Eden with 202 tied houses, although they later sold the brewery back as a management buy-out.
• In 1964, they acquired Dutton's Blackburn Brewery Ltd with 784 tied houses. Name changed to Dutton’s Brewery Ltd in 1966 and was operated as Whitbread West Pennines Ltd until closed in 1978.
• Lacon & Co. Ltd, Falcon Brewery, Great Yarmouth was acquired in December 1965 with 354 public houses. The brewery was closed in 1968.
• Rhymney Breweries Ltd were acquired in January 1966. Closed in 1978.
• They acquired James Thompson & Co Ltd of Barrow-in-Furness in 1966 with 47 public houses.
• Evan Evans Bevan Ltd's Vale of Neath Brewery was acquired in 1967 and brewing ceased in May 1972.
• In September 1967, they acquired Fremlins Ltd of Maidstone with 714 public houses. Brewery closed October 1972 but used as a depot until 2003.
• In October 1967, Isaac Tucker & Co. Ltd, Turk's Head Brewery, Gateshead was acquired with 50 tied houses.
• Threlfall’s Chesters Ltd (Threlfall & Co Ltd) of Liverpool and Salford were acquired in 1967 with 800 licensed houses.
• Archibald Campbell, Hope & King Ltd of Edinburgh were acquired in 1967. Brewing ceased there in 1970.
• Lonsdale & Adshead Ltd's Macclesfield Brewery was acquired by Ind Coope Ltd in 1950. Brewery offered for sale in 1967 and was bought by Whitbreads. Depot later closed and demolished.
• In January 1968, Cobb & Co. of Margate were acquired with 40 public houses. The brewery closed in October 1968 and was demolished in July 1971.
• Gardner & Co. Ltd of Ash, and Tomson & Wotton Ltd of Ramsgate were acquired by Whitbread in June 1968.
• They acquired Bentley's Yorkshire Breweries Ltd of Woodlesford in August 1968 with 380 houses and brewing ceased there in October 1972.
• Richard Whitaker & Sons Ltd of Halifax was absorbed in September 1968 with 135 tied houses. Brewing ceased early in 1969.
• John Young & Co, Ladywell Brewery, Fisherrow, were acquired in November 1968 with 11 tied houses and brewing ceased on 31st January 1969.
• Strong & Co Ltd of Romsey were acquired in 1969 with 940 public houses. Brewing ceased there in 1981. This includes Strongs' subsidiary breweries: Wethered & Sons Ltd (brewing ceased 1988) and Mew, Langton & Co. Ltd (brewing ceased 1969).
• They acquired Brickwoods Ltd, Portsmouth Brewery in 1971 with 675 public houses. Brewing ceased there in 1983 and the brewery was demolished in 1990.
• Boddington's Breweries Ltd of Manchester were acquired in 1989.