THOMAS HARDY continued to brew strong profits in an “excellent” year for the Burtonwood brewer.
It saw turnover rise 9% to £40.4m in the year to September, 2010 – maintaining growth which has seen sales increase £17m in the last three years.
Pre-tax profits rose sharply, from £640,000 to £1.73m, which the company said was caused by “increasing volumes and good cost control”.
In accounts just filed at Companies House, the directors said: “Building on the previous year’s growth, production volumes continued to increase in both brewing, up 6%, and bottling, up 5%.”
Thomas Hardy has a brewery and bottling plant at Burtonwood, near Warrington, and, in October, 2009, it bought the freehold of a Kendal bottling and packaging plant, which it already operated.
At Burtonwood, the company produces beer and other alcoholic drinks for eight companies, including Heineken UK.
It employs nearly 50 of its 135 employees at Burtonwood, which contributed £24.4m of the group’s turnover and generated £670,000 pre-tax profit.
The directors said their forecast “places the group in a good position to meet any prospective tough economic challenge”.
They added: “The prospects for the coming year continue to look promising and the group is expected to trade profitably.”
Emoluments for the three directors – Peter Ward, Rae Ward and Neil Voss – totalled £1.25m, with the highest-paid receiving £858,000.
Mr Ward founded the company in 1997, and in 1998 formed a joint venture company with Burtonwood Brewery to manage the company’s brewing operations. It bought the plant in 2005, while the pubs business is now part of Marston’s.
ALEX TURNER
