Small craft brewers set for turbulance
SMALL independent brewers are struggling to cope with a fall in beer sales, just as the Government threatens them with increased taxes.
The revelation comes from research carried out by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIBA).
Known for revolutionising the UK’S brewing industry, and creating a nation of craft beer lovers, this previously small but booming sector is now under threat– as the global lockdown saw a considerable drop in craft beer sales.
Even after pubs and restaurants started to reopen this summer, craft beer sales remained at just 51 per cent of what they would have expected for a ‘normal’ July.
The Society of Independent Brewers said this fall in sales comes just as the Government is set to “slash” the Small Breweries’ Relief, which was introduced to take account of small brewers’ relatively high cost of production which allowed them to compete with global brewers.
A society spokesman said: “The Government are yet to reveal exactly how much these taxes will rise, and it is this uncertainty which means 58 per cent of brewers say they are delaying investment, 51 per cent are delaying employing new staff, and 49 per cent are delaying growing their brewing capacity – with just four per cent of respondents greeting the Governments proposed tax changes positively.”
James Calder, SIBA chief executive said: “This new data shows very clearly that breweries are delaying investment and growth as they simply do not know what their tax bill will look like in the future – it is making a very difficult situation near impossible for small independent breweries across the UK - businesses which have been hit extremely hard by Coronavirus.
“Breweries saw their sales slashed by over 80 per cent when pubs closed and even in July once things had reopened sales were at half of what we would have usually expected. The timing of announcing a tax rise for many small brewers could not be worse.”
Conservative MP and former Pubs Minister Andrew Percy has backed small brewers and says the proposed changes would seriously damage the industry.
Mr Percy said: “The growth of small and craft breweries across the
UK in recent years has been something of a jobs and economic success story.”
“As well as supporting new jobs in the brewing directly, this growth has supported jobs and businesses right across the country be that farmers, local pubs or bottle shops.
“This has been in no small part thanks to support offered by the small brewers rate relief.
“This relief has led to a revolution in brewing whilst at the same time increasing choice for consumers and introducing consumers, especially younger consumers, to new styles of beer.
“The changes as proposed would seriously damage what has been something of a British success story in recent years and one of the few bright spots in what has been a difficult decade for our local pubs.”
This new research from SIBA follows the launch of a petition to back local beer which calls on the Government to reverse their proposed tax rise that would affect up to 150 small breweries.
The petition has reached 40,000 signatures in a few weeks and now has the support of the UK’S largest beer consumer group CAMRA. Tom Stainer, CAMRA chief executive said: “These figures highlight the fragile situation that our brewing industry is in following lockdown, and why the Government’s proposed tax increase for some of the smallest brewers poses a real threat to competition and consumer choice.
“We need the Government to rethink their plans for changes to Small Brewers Relief to make sure that our local and small brewers can overcome the challenges they have faced during the Coronavirus crisis and can invest and grow in the future.
“This is why it’s so important that all CAMRA members and beer lovers back the petition on the Parlaiment.uk website today.”
The timing of announcing a tax rise for many small brewers could not be worse
James Calder, SIBA chief executive