Up to 100 jobs could be cut at St Austell Brewery

Up to 100 jobs could be axed at St Austell Brewery because of coronavirus struggles.

Bosses say that when the crisis hit and the pubs closed, their business suffered a 90% fall in revenue.

Now as the furlough scheme comes to an end, the company says it can no longer maintain its current staffing levels.

A consultation started in July "with heavy hearts" and is due to be finalised by the end of November.

Bosses say this will result in up to 100 job losses, but they are unable to confirm a specific number while the process is still underway.

“When the coronavirus crisis hit, and our pubs were closed, we experienced a 90% fall in our revenue. The four months since have been hugely challenging and we’ve been regularly communicating with our teams - including those on furlough - about the significant financial impact we’ve faced. The pandemic continues to have a knock-on effect and, despite reopening our pubs, our trading levels are much lower than last year. As a South West business, this will hit us particularly hard, because we’re so reliant on summer trade.

“Thanks to Government support we’ve been able to keep all of our people employed throughout the crisis however, as the furlough scheme tapers out, we can no longer maintain our current staffing levels. Regrettably, this means we’re having to make some very difficult decisions, which will result in job losses.

“It’s with heavy hearts that we started to consult with our teams in July. It is a phased process and we will do our utmost to support those who are affected. We anticipate that a revised business structure will be in place by the end of November.

“Like all companies in the hospitality sector we must adapt to how the market has changed. Therefore, we need to simplify our business to become more sustainable, overcome the financial challenges we face and safeguard St Austell Brewery’s future.”

Kevin Georgel, Chief Executive, St Austell Brewery

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