Molson Coors Beverage Company has confirmed it will permanently close its Sharp’s brewery in Rock, Cornwall, before the end of the year, resulting in the loss of 40 jobs. The Canadian-American brewing giant, which has headquarters in Montreal, Quebec, and Chicago, first signalled the possible closure in February when it entered a consultation process with staff that initially put up to 50 jobs at risk.
Sharp’s, acquired by Molson Coors in 2011, is best known as the maker of Doom Bar, the UK’s best-selling cask ale. The company said the decision followed the conclusion of the consultation process, during which it stated every alternative had been fully considered.
Why the Brewery Is Closing
Molson Coors attributed the closure to evolving market conditions and shifting consumer tastes that have created a challenged cask ale category. A company spokesperson said that since acquiring the Sharp’s site in 2011, Molson Coors had invested more than £20 million to expand capacity, upgrade equipment and strengthen the Sharp’s portfolio, but that the brewery was no longer financially sustainable within the company’s national production network.
Production at the Rock site will cease in December, and Molson Coors said it is exploring a sale of the premises. The company has agreed heads of terms with Camerons Brewery to become its preferred brewing partner for key Sharp’s cask brands, while Sharp’s keg and packaged products will continue to be produced at Molson Coors’ breweries in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, and Tadcaster, Yorkshire, near Hartlepool.
Simon Kerry, managing director for UK & Ireland at Molson Coors, said Sharp’s Brewery had formed a significant part of the company’s UK business for the past 15 years and that the decision to close the site had not been easy. He said the company’s focus was now on supporting those affected by the closure.
Reaction From Real Ale Campaigners
The Campaign for Real Ale’s Cornwall branch, CAMRA Kernow, criticized the move, with chairman Dave Pedlar describing it as a betrayal of Sharp’s founders, the 40 workers whose jobs are affected and the local community that has supported the business for decades. Pedlar noted that cask production is shifting to Hartlepool, roughly 417 miles from Rock, and called for new consumer protection rules to prevent the beers from continuing to be marketed as Cornish once brewed elsewhere.
CAMRA’s national chief executive, Tom Stainer, said the relocation of production away from Cornwall undermines the brand’s Cornish identity. He said the organization has launched a UK-wide campaign and a report on the beer market examining the practices of large brewing companies, and is calling on the Competition and Markets Authority to examine how global corporations dominate the sector.
Sharp's Brewery Closure: Key Figures
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