St Peter's Brewery for sale

Suffolk-based St Peter’s Brewery Company, which is coming up to its tenth year of operation, has announced that the company is for sale.

St. Peter’s Brewery sells 75% of its bottled beer production to export markets including USA, Canada, Russia and several European markets and, in the UK, trades with major supermarket groups (including Tesco, Waitrose, ASDA and Sainsbury’s) and specialist retailers. Additionally, cask beers are sold to pubs, hotels and restaurants.

"We are looking for the right buyer to take St. Peter’s Brewery to the next level in terms of capacity and developing the brand", says John Murphy, Chairman of St. Peter’s.

He explains: St. Peter’s is a brand with huge potential which has been carefully developed and is now ready to be taken onto a higher stage. Although we are brewing to the full capacity of our existing site - sales are up over 40% year on year - we are unable to meet demand. The product quality is excellent and our beers win many accolades both in the UK and abroad".

"This is the right time for the company to be sold having completed the first major phase of the creation of a world brand. This has involved the brand conceptualisation and development and I am delighted with how St. Peter’s has grown over the years into now what is an internationally recognised brand, selling in 15 countries."

"All our staff have been informed of my decision to sell St. Peter’s Brewery and we plan to find the right buyer so that the ethos and the love behind our beers can be maintained."

Managing Director, Colin Cordy added; "This is exciting news for St. Peter’s Brewery. The team here at St. Peter’s are very committed to the long term success of the brand. It will very much be ‘business as usual’ as we move into the busy pre-Christmas selling period and beyond. We have a very strong order book, our beers continue to gain significant critical acclaim and I have every confidence in the future of St. Peter’s Brewery."

Assets also included in the sale are St. Peter’s Hall, a 13th century medieval hall that operates as a pub and restaurant; the Jerusalem Tavern, located in Clerkenwell, London and the De La Pole Arms, in Wingfield, Suffolk.

The Corporate Finance division of Lovewell Blake has been appointed to handle the sale of the business. Corporate Finance Partner, Mark Garner, says: "We believe the Company has successfully completed the development stage of the business life cycle and has the potential to become a huge national and international beer brand.

"St Peter’s presents an opportunity for an acquirer to exploit existing coverage in both the UK and overseas markets where St Peter’s positioning is unique amongst industry peers."