The Company

"St. Austell Brewery aims to be the region's most successful brewer, wholesaler and retailer by investing in its people, its tied estate, and all licensed retailing in order to offer the best service and achieve the highest level of customer satisfaction and loyalty"

Will Michelmore

Company Chairman

Will Michelmore Company Chairman

Key company data (Jan 2008)

• 168 Pubs and Hotels
• 132 Tenancies
• 5 Lease holds 
• 31 Managed pubs, including 14 St Austell Brewery Hotels & Inns.
• Over 2500 free trade accounts
  
• Over 1000 people employed
  
• Annual turnover in excess of £90 million
  
• In excess of 40,000 barrels of our own beer sold annually

The St Austell Brewery Company Limited was founded in 1851 by Walter Hicks, who mortgaged his farm for £1,500 to set up his business in St Austell. In 2001, we celebrated our 150th Anniversary.

The company remains in private hands with numerous Walter Hicks' descendants involved as shareholders, employees and directors. We are one of the longest established of only a few independent family brewers left in the UK and are totally committed to continuing brewing and to retaining our independence.

We are one of the largest employers in Cornwall, where most of our 167 pubs and hotels are located. We have 17 in Devon and are expanding operations throughout the South West. Company employees currently run 34 pubs; the remainder are tenanted. In total, over 1,000 people work for the Brewery which now has an annual turnover in excess of £90 million.

Our Walter Hicks Wine Merchants subsidiary supplies the licensed trade throughout the South West of England and has the only bonded warehouse in Cornwall.

Our annual wine fair is one of the biggest of its kind outside of London. St. Austell has a fine range of traditional cask ales. Of these, Tribute, a 4.2% abv "Premium Cornish Ale" is our biggest seller. Tribute not only sells very well in the South West, but is also now a national guest ale brand and is regularly found in pubs and supermarkets throughout the rest of the UK. You can find your nearest Tribute stockist by looking at www.tributeale.co.uk Another legendary beer is HSD, a traditional, strong Cornish ale. At 5% abv every visitor has a story to tell about HSD!

The company's headquarters are at our Brewery site in St Austell where we employ over 150 staff. We also have depots at Redruth, Bude and Newquay in Cornwall, St Mary's on the Scilly Isles and at Cullompton, Ilfracombe and Heathfield in Devon. The focus of the company's business is the South West and we supply customers throughout Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

St. Austell Brewery continues to re-invest in the business through new acquisitions and actively refurbishing our pubs and hotels. Steady but continual expansion of our property base is the company's vision and we are very selective about our purchases only taking on properties that complement our existing range, style and commitment to quality.

If you would like to sell your pub please contact our Estate Director Adam Luck on 01726 74444.