Breweries ‘in need of help’, says group of independents
MORE than 300 small independent breweries have signed a letter by the Society of Independent Brewers (SIB) to the Prime Minister, calling on him to commit to proper support for the sector which has been devastated by the pandemic.
The SIB said small breweries had faced harsh restrictions on their businesses and had seen sales plummet by an average of 80% during recent lockdowns – but had not received much of the support given to the wider hospitality sector.
To make matters worse for struggling businesses, the Government is planning a tax increase for brewers with their changes to Small Breweries’ Relief (SBR) – the scheme that revolutionised brewing in the UK and made it viable for small businesses to compete against global beer companies.
James Calder, SIBA chief executive, said: “Over 300 small breweries coming together to write to the Prime Minister will, we hope, convey the depth of feeling from the independent brewing sector that it has constantly been overlooked, but more so that it is imperative this
Government acts now or risks setting the British brewing industry back a decade with widespread business closures.
“The hugely important Christmas period has been a joyless one for brewers as the vast majority of their market is closed yet there has been no compensation and little support.
“The Prime Minister needs to make it his New Year’s resolution to help small breweries.” SIBA is calling on the Prime Minister to:
Extend the hospitality support to cover small breweries, including the business rates holiday;
Compensate small brewers for the millions of pints thrown away when pubs are forced to close;
Scrap the proposed changes to
SBR to create a sustainable future for the industry.
The letter highlights the relationship between small breweries and pubs – and that breweries did not receive the Business Rates holiday, £25,000 hospitality grant, or direct support in the VAT cut or Eat Out to Help Out schemes, both of which excluded alcohol including beer.