Brewery rescued from administration by Home Bargains-owned company
A subsidiary of Liverpool-based retail giant, TJ Morris, the company behind Home Bargains, has rescued a city brewery from administration.
Baltic Triangle-based Love Lane Brewery entered administration last October for the second time in just over a year.
The Love Lane Brewery Bar & Kitchen was unaffected.
Paul Stanley and Jason Greenhalgh, of Begbies Traynor, were appointed as joint administrators of Love Lane Brewery Limited on October 5, 2023.
Paul Stanley, regional managing partner of Begbies Traynor, said at the time: “This is a difficult time for the leisure and hospitality sector in general. Many small breweries have launched during the past decade and the craft beer industry was going strong until economic conditions dramatically changed.
“More recently, as the majors have introduced their own corporate versions of craft beer onto the pumps, the smaller brewers are finding it even tougher to compete and we have seen a huge rise in the number of microbrewery businesses seeking financial help.
“We have mothballed the brewery whilst a buyer is sought. We are already speaking with potential purchasers and are working proactively to make a deal happen.”
Now, it has emerged that White Real Estate, a company associated with TJ Morris, has taken over the brewery business.
White Real Estate changed its name yesterday, January 9, to TJ Morris Brewing Ltd, Companies House records revealed.
TJ Morris Brewing was incorporated on December 11, 2022.
A TJ Morris spokesperson said: “We can confirm, that White Real Estate Limited have acquired the assets and intellectual property of Love Lane Brewery, in Liverpool’s Baltic area, from administrators.
“The intention is, that the venue will continue to trade independently and the brewery will re-commence operations, supplying product to both the venue itself, as well as third party operators and retailers.”
A spokesperson for Begbies Traynor confirmed that a deal had successfully concluded.
In June 2022, Love Lane Brewery secured investment from Cheshire retailer Nick Canning as part of a pre-pack administration after entering administration.
Canning spent 15 years at Iceland Foods, ending as joint managing director after spells as chairman of the company’s charitable foundation and its subsidiary Cooltrader.
