Kirkstall Brewery’s founder Steve Holt has bought North Brewing, which will continue to operate as an independent brewery, run by the existing management team.
The move will ensure North’s future, including its Springwell Brewery and Taproom, as well as the North Taproom sites in Leeds and Manchester. The transaction does not include the North Taproom in Birmingham, which will now close.
The founders of North, John Gyngell and Christian Townley, have known and worked closely with Holt since the earliest days of the North brand, since the opening of North Bar in 1997.
North Brewing Co filed a notice of intention to appoint administrators last Monday. The group, which supplies several supermarket and casual dining chains nationally, said that the cost of living crisis and Brexit were factors that had left it in need of funding.
Steve Holt of Kirkstall Brewery said “We’ve been friends and industry colleagues for almost 30 years. North is an iconic beer brand that had to continue. Together, we’ll make sure that North will continue to make some of the best beer in the country.”
The purchase of the North will see Gyngell and Townley remain at the helm of the business, and secures the jobs of 78 North employees.
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