Boss of loss-making brewery on indefinite leave

THE managing director of the Lancashire brewery Moorhouses David Grant has been placed on indefinite leave, TheBusinessDesk can reveal.

It is understood Grant who had overseen a £4.5m investment into the medium-sized Burnley brewery several years ago may have left the business.

Grant was brought into the business by Moorhouses owner Bill Parkinson in 2001. Despite the investment into the state-of-the-art plant, which produces between 300 and 400 barrels of beer a week, Parkinson recently told TheBusinessDesk the company is not making a profit.

“I love owning a brewery,” he said. “I am very proud of the beer we produce, but, fortunately I don’t rely on it for a living.”

Parkinson, 75, is the entrepreneur who launched Lifting Gear Hire Ltd before it was bought by Speedy Hire. Lifting Gear still operates in Germany, Holland and US and has turnover of £60m and Parkinson – who has also penned an autobiography about his business exploits – is still a major shareholder.

When contacted by telephone, Moorhouses said Grant was on extended annual leave and a spokesman for the company could not confirm whether or not he would be returning.

Grant was brought to the company by Parkinson two years after initially being interviewed but rejected in favour of another candidate.

In an interview with TheBusinessDesk which co-incided with the publication of his book “Lifting the World” Parkinson said: “I realised after a couple of years I had made a mistake by not hiring David, so I approached him again and he came on board.”

Parkinson is currently on a golfing holiday in Florida and was unavailable for comment today.

The firm has won awards for a number of its beers, which include Black Cat, Blonde Witch and Pendle Witch’s Brew.

A brewery spokesman said: “At the present time we don’t know when he is returning to work.”