Local ales sparkle

LoCAL ales offset slowing food sales at the UK’s oldest brewery and pub chain last year.

Shepherd neame sold 118,000 barrels of its own-brewed beer last year, equivalent to 34m pints. The brewer, which was founded in 1698 in Faversham, Kent, employs 1,500 and has 322 pubs. Sales volumes of its ownbrewed beers, which include Spitfire, Bishops Finger and whitstable Bay, jumped 4.2pc during the period. Food sales slowed, reflecting a wider trend of people eating out less at restaurants.

one-off costs of £1.5m last year took profits to £5.5m, down from £6.6m.