Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries, PLC is the former name for Marston's PLC, a brewer based in Wolverhampton, England. It was formed in 1890 by the amalgamation of three local breweries. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. The name change from Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries to Marston's PLC happened in January 2007^[1] - the stock symbol changed from WOLV to MARS.

The company has grown in recent years, mostly by acquisition. Its brewery acquisitions included the Camerons Brewery of Hartlepool in 1992 (the brewery and beers were later sold to Castle Eden).

In 1999 the company purchased Marston, Thompson & Evershed plc of Burton upon Trent (including Marston's Brewery) and the Mansfield Brewery Company of Mansfield. Jennings Brothers of Cockermouth was bought in 2005.

The company now owns and operates three breweries. The Park Brewery in Wolverhampton brews Banks's, Hanson's and Mansfield beers, whilst Marston's Brewery in Burton upon Trent, and the Jennings Brewery in Cockermouth brew the Marston's and Jennings beers respectively. Draught Bass is also brewed at Marston's, on behalf of InBev. The company also owns a sizable chain of pubs, and several hotels