COORS Brewers has been propelled into the economic spotlight with news that a deal with Scottish and Newcastle looks set to secure the future of its Alton plant. Mark Hunter, newly appointed chief executive officer for Coors Brewers Limited in the UK, came to Alton last Wednesday to break the good news to the Turk Street-based workforce. According to Mr Hunter, the contract is expected to increase the company's output in Alton by 60 per cent over the next few years bringing more jobs and a healthy rejuvenation of the historic brewery site. It would appear to put to rest rumours that Coors was set to pull out of Alton and that the brewery was to be redeveloped for shops or housing. Top of the Coors brewing quality league in 2007, Alton currently employs a 90-strong team of brewing and support staff, producing Carling and Grolsch for the UK market. The new deal will introduce the production on site of two Scottish and Newcastle brands with a recruitment drive expected over the next 18 months which should return the brewery to full strength. The future of the Alton site has been on tenterhooks since 2002 when Coors bought Bass Brewers from Interbrew, and created Coors Brewers Limited, the UK's second largest brewer, with more than 20 per cent market share. In 2005, Coors merged with Canadian brewing giant Molson to create Molson Coors, the fifth- largest brewing company in the world, and the Alton site seemed to pale into insignificance. But the Scottish Newcastle deal should change all that. "It will bring a lot more volume through the site which will give real security to the people working here," said Mr Hunter. "It is a big commitment on our part – we will be spending a lot of money on the brewery to make sure we meet our obligations – this is not just a short-term fix." According to Alton manager Robert Kent, once the site is ready Coors will be looking for more staff – mechanical-based engineers, as well as a range of support personnel. The hike in output will be reflected in an increase in lorry movement but, Mr Kent has insisted, Coors lorries never travel through the town centre but always enter and exit via the Turk Street railway bridge and the Mill Lane industrial estate. Mr Kent further explained that the tankers would be larger 1.25m vehicles which will mean that the site will be served by roughly the same number of vehicles as in its more productive past. Furthermore, the Turk Street site has, over the past three years, topped the league for environmental effort with sustainability and recycling a large part of the operation. It uses water piped up to the Windmill Hill reservoir and piped to the brewery by gravity; and it aims to recycle all its by-products including raw materials, packaging, water, electricity and gas. While proud of its efforts and excited by its future plans, Coors is not complacent. Mr Hunter is acutely aware that the British beer industry is an extremely volatile and competitive market in which to operate, bringing with it the need for Coors to constantly review requirements at all its sites. Beer is currently facing a big challenge from other alcoholic drinks and particularly wine but, says Mr Hunter, Coors is fighting back by focusing on the diversity of beer and by expanding the customer base – the Scottish and Newcastle deal, he believes, will help in this process. l Coors Brewers has confirmed that negotiations are continuing over the sale and future redevelopment of the Coors Sports Ground in Anstey Road. In a statement, it says that Coors was disappointed that the last application (submitted in December) was refused on grounds that it did not offer sufficient parking. But it was "delighted" that the principle of residential development on the land was accepted. The company is keen to stress that its proposals do meet the PPG17 requirement set down for the re- provision of sports facilities on its land and these proposals have the support of Sports England. While it will no longer be offering a new football stadium, which "had neither the support of Sport England or Alton Town Council (ATC)", it is offering an all-weather turf pitch to replace the football pitch, a bowls club and pavilion and two tennis courts. In addition, it is offering contributions to allow the Anstey Park football enclosure to be upgraded to Wessex League standards but, it is stressed, "control over who may use these facilities sits with ATC. "We are currently engaging with key stakeholders including ATC and East Hampshire District Council to discuss how we may be able to address their concerns with a view to a revised planning application being submitted in due course."
