107-year-old brewery to close

The Bass Ireland Ulster Brewery in west Belfast is to close next year with the loss of up to 85 jobs, it was announced today.

The decision by owners Interbrew brings to an end 107 years of brewing at the brewery on the Glen Road.

Earlier this year, Interbrew said they would shut the facility unless a buyer was found.

In a statement today the company said that, despite an intensive period of discussions with a number of interested parties, no suitable purchaser had emerged.

The decision – to be implemented in January – has been prompted by the ending of a soft drink bottling contract in December this year.

Interbrew UK supply chain director David Randall said: “The conclusion of the bottling contract in December and the resulting increased costs to the remaining brewing and kegging operations, along with a general overcapacity within the industry, meant that a viable manufacturing operation would no longer be sustainable.”

He said the decision in no way reflected on the quality of output from the Bass Ireland team and had been “solely driven by unsustainable costs”.

The company hoped to be in a position to offer redeployment to around 20 of the workers losing their jobs, he said.

Interbrew said all other operations and customer services based in Belfast and Omagh, employing 200 people, would be unaffected by the decision.

It also said Interbrew Ireland, which employs 75 people in the Republic, is also unaffected by the announcement.

West Belfast MP Gerry Adams said he was very disappointed by the decision.

The Sinn Féin president said that over the past number of years there had been advances in spearheading the regeneration of west Belfast.

“The loss of these jobs is a blow to this regeneration,” he said.

Mr Adams said the brewery had been a viable business with a highly-skilled workforce and a quality product.

“It is one of the largest private sector employers in the area and as such acts as a flagship for other investors,” he said.