Thwaites announces move out of Blackburn

Daniel Thwaites has secured the purchase of a new site in Mellor Brook where it hopes to build a new brewery, head office and visitor centre.

The company is currently based in the centre of Blackburn but announced earlier in the year that it had failed to negotiate a relocation plan with the town council.

The new brewery and head office will be located on the A59, at the foot of the Ribble Valley. The site will be kitted out with new, efficient and more flexible equipment which will brew the full range of cask, seasonal and craft ales and will also allow for the development of new products.

Dependent on planning consent, Thwaites hopes construction will begin in early 2015.

Richard Bailey, CEO of Daniel Thwaites, said: “We have been looking for a new site for over two years, and Sykes Holt, Mellor Brook fits perfectly with our vision for the future of the business.

"It has always been hugely important to us that we stay close to Blackburn, which has been our home for over 200 years, and we have been very aware that we would like to safeguard jobs in the area, so I am very pleased that we have been able to find a site that is only a few miles away, where we will continue to employ over 200 people in our head office across our brewery, pubs, inns and hotels. Our distribution team of 120 people will be staying where they are at our existing depot in Blackburn for the foreseeable future."

Completion of the purchase will take place in six months, in order to allow the current owner time to leave the site.

Bailey added: "We will be working hard in that time to make sure that as soon as we complete the purchase we will be in a position to start work quickly. We will be working with the planners to create an exciting scheme to make the most of the site, part of which dates back to 1540."

Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Stuart Hirst said: “Thwaites is a prestigious and important local company, with a long and illustrious history. We are delighted that they are coming to Ribble Valley and will offer them all the help and support we can to assist with their plans for the future." There are no immediate plans for Thwaites' existing site, which it had previously been hoped would be developed into a Sainsbury's supermarket.