London craft brewer Fourpure is to shutter its Bermondsey brewing facility, moving production to sister outfit Magic Rock Brewing Co in Huddersfield.
The brewer, owned by craft beer portfolio business In Good Company, said the consoldation was necessary “to future-proof the business amidst a challenging time for the craft beer and hospitality industries”.
The move will result in the closure of its Bermondsey brewery and taproom, where beers from non-alcoholic brewer Big Drop are also currently produced. Production of Big Drop beers will also move to Magic Rock.
It would result in “a significant increase in capacity in Huddersfield” as well as an increase in the size of Magic Rock’s brewing team, In Good Company said.
“It is with huge sadness that we’ll leave the brewery and taproom that has been Fourpure’s home since 2013,” said CEO Steve Cox. “The decision to relocate is one of the commercial realities we face in order to safeguard the Fourpure brand for the future, as well as allowing the business to grow and innovate.”
“We are confident it is the right move in these circumstances, and we are lucky to already have a state-of-the-art brewing facility at Magic Rock in Huddersfield, meaning there is very minimal impact to production.”
Staff at Fourpure’s London site would be offered the opportunity to relocate to Huddersfield if they desired, Cox said.
“As well as ensuring delivery of all commitments to our customers and partners, our absolute priority is to protect jobs,” he said. “Staff on our London brewing team will obviously be affected by this decision and there will be opportunities for certain roles to relocate to Huddersfield as part of the expansion of that site. However we appreciate this won’t be possible for everyone.”
Sales, marketing and finance roles would be unaffected, he added.
It caps a turbulent period for the brewer, which in March applied for a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) to continue trading to stave off the threat of liquidation.
At the time, Cox said the measure was “a short-term move to future-proof the business”.
The full extent of Fourpure’s debts to creditors are still unclear. The brewer’s accounts for the year ended 31 December 2022 are nearly eight months overdue, according to Companies House.
Fourpure and Magic Rock were sold to In Good Company in August 2022 after previous owner Lion elected to exit the UK market.
The Australian-headquartered Lion purchased Fourpure from its founders Tom and Dan Lowe in 2018.
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