Hydes to exit historic brewery and free trade business
HYDES Brewery has announced plans to leave its historic Queens brewery site in Moss Side to move to a new £2m facility.
The family-owned brewer said that it needs to move from its ageing site on Moss Lane West and has identified a number of potential new locations. However, it added that as the new site would be more efficient than the existing brewery it will lead to potential job losses and it has already begun a consultation period with staff. 
“Nonetheless the sizeable investment in the new brewery would enable the company to protect the interests of a number of skilled staff who would be critical to the success of the new brewery,” it said.
“Every effort will be made to help any staff affected by these changes to find alternative roles.”
The company has said the new site will focus exclusively on producing cask ales such as its Original and Manchester’s Finest brands. As a result, it has also decided to pull out of the free trade business and sell its assets to Blackburn-based competitor Daniel Thwaites.
“This was a very difficult decision for us to take and although it will be sad to see brewing end at Queens Brewery it is simply not sustainable,” said managing director Chris Hopkins.
“The site was built over 150 years ago and is not able to meet the challenges of efficient production and distribution of beer in the 21st Century.”
He added that the changes “will also allow for an increased management focus on the company’s pub estate and will accelerate plans for capital investment in refurbishments and the acquisition of new sites”.
The deal to sell its free trade assets is set to go through next Monday, January 16, and will involve a number of Hydes employees and support staff transferring to Daniel Thwaites.
Daniel Thwaites chief executive Richard Bailey said the deal “offers us an excellent opportunity to build from our strong base in the free trade in the North West and expand our presence in Greater Manchester, which has been an area of focus for us in the last few years.
“It consolidates our position as the leading brewer in the North of England and offers us opportunities for further growth,” he added.
