Lion Little World Beverages has sold its UK operations, including its Magic Rock and Fourpure beer brands, to newly launched venture Odyssey Inns.

Australian brewer lion Lion put the UK business Little World Beverages up for sale in January amid a shift in to the US and Australia instead.

In addition to the two craft beer brands, the sale also includes the breweries and taprooms in London, Huddersfield and Holmfirth and Little Creatures craft beer hospitality venue in Kings Cross, London.

New owner Odyssey is led by industry veteran Stephen Cox, who founded Devon’s Utopian Brewing and has 20 years of experience in the world of hospitality and the UK pub sector

Cox said: “This is an incredible opportunity to take two exceptional brands, Fourpure and Magic Rock, to the next level. Combined with an excellent hospitality proposition, fantastic people and state of the art breweries, we really have the platform to do great things. We’re excited to get started and get to know the team.

“We bring bags of energy and enthusiasm, entrepreneurial spirit and strong industry experience, and we hope to bring joy to many more customers with these great beers.”

The sale will see Lion focus future investment towards its businesses in Australia, New Zealand and the United States, where Lion has said it had made significant craft beer investments and is a leading craft brewer in each market.

Lion’s UK MD Gordon Treanor, said: “Odyssey brings together a great team with a clear passion for brewing and hospitality and is ideally placed to take Magic Rock and Fourpure forward. I’d like to thank our brilliant team for their commitment and dedication, especially over the past two years. With some great sales and brand momentum, the business is well placed for the future ahead, under new ownership.”

Lion entered the UK with its acquisition of Fourpure in 2018, before acquiring Magic Rock in 2019 and combining them into one business a year later.

It said in January it had encountered “difficult trading conditions over the past two years” in the UK despite making significant investments in the market.

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