Rhythm & Booze plans to open a shop that will sell every beer made in the UK and start brewing its own ales in a dramatic diversification move.
The store, which will be named Britain's Best Beer Shop, will also have a trading website that will despatch ale to beer aficionados around the world.
The brewery will enable the independent off-licence to brew ale, lager and cider. It uses Wentworth Brewery to make its 12 own-label brews, but owning production will give it more independence, said MD Martin Swaine.
The site will also have an exhibition of classic cars, as R&B aims to attract beer-loving men to the out-of-town location.
The development was "a boys' dream", said Swaine.
"The idea is to create an attraction people can come to us, have a tour of the brewery, see the car collection and then come to the shop and buy any beer made in Britain," he said. "The shop will be a destination store and will have more than 1,000 different lines to support the British beer industry, which is something I am passionate about. It's a dream for me, but one with a good commercial reason behind it."
The new store is part of a multi-million pound development that will see R&B move its head office from the centre to the outskirts of Barnsley.
At 9,500 sq ft, it will be nearly four times the size of its existing HQ, to cope with the business's expansion, which included the recent acquisition of 34 former Threshers stores.
R&B this week submitted a full planning application to the council and hopes the project will be completed within 18 months.
The store, which will be named Britain's Best Beer Shop, will also have a trading website that will despatch ale to beer aficionados around the world.
The brewery will enable the independent off-licence to brew ale, lager and cider. It uses Wentworth Brewery to make its 12 own-label brews, but owning production will give it more independence, said MD Martin Swaine.
The site will also have an exhibition of classic cars, as R&B aims to attract beer-loving men to the out-of-town location.
The development was "a boys' dream", said Swaine.
"The idea is to create an attraction people can come to us, have a tour of the brewery, see the car collection and then come to the shop and buy any beer made in Britain," he said. "The shop will be a destination store and will have more than 1,000 different lines to support the British beer industry, which is something I am passionate about. It's a dream for me, but one with a good commercial reason behind it."
The new store is part of a multi-million pound development that will see R&B move its head office from the centre to the outskirts of Barnsley.
At 9,500 sq ft, it will be nearly four times the size of its existing HQ, to cope with the business's expansion, which included the recent acquisition of 34 former Threshers stores.
R&B this week submitted a full planning application to the council and hopes the project will be completed within 18 months.
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