Business of the Year: Marston's Beer Company Sponsored by the Express & Star

And managing director Richard Westwood was visibly moved by the emotion of the event. He paid tribute to the company’s workforce saying: “It’s all down to our people, they are at the heart of what we do.”

He added: “One of the things that pleases me most is that the judges understood that our success is all down to the dedication and quality of our people, new and old, irrelevant of their role. It is when all those roles come together that creates our success.

“Every part of our business complements the next. The breweries are little more that brick and mortar that contain some bits of metal. It is the people who work for us that are the true differentiators.

“Whilst our business has grown across the UK, Wolverhampton remains our physical and spiritual home, the support we have had here from drinkers, customers and suppliers over many years has been phenomenal and the Express & Star has been a key player in that.”

The former head brewer, who was born in Sedgley just three-and-a-half miles from the firm’s Banks’s brewery in Wolverhampton, has worked for the firm since leaving university.

Mr Westwood added: “This is about all the people who work for Marston’s - that is all 14,000 of us around the country. It is all about quality and service, and then is down to the people.” As befitted the top award of the evening, it was a tough competition.

The judges said they were bowled over by the work the finalists – which included HomeServe Membership and Pallet-Track – put into their presentations. Strong leadership in all three, along with motivated workforces it was evident their customers are clearly at the heart of everything they do.

After much deliberation, they came to a decision: “A strong belief in people and expansion of their product range, whilst still maintaining great local brands was evident during the judges’ visit to Marston’s Beer Company. A business that has clearly positioned itself as a market leader in their sector.”

It follows a groundbreaking year for Marston’s Beer Company delivering significant growth across its core portfolio along with key successes in development areas such of collaboration and innovation.

Just days before the awards even the company bought the brewery arm of Charles Wells for £55m and sealed a hat-trick of major distribution deals to around 2,000 pubs nationwide.

Brewer

From its Black Country roots more than a century ago Marston’s (formerly The Wolverhampton & Dudley Breweries plc) has become an award winning brewer of international stature, selling beer to over 6000 pubs and restaurants, extensive distribution in the off trade (supermarkets and off licences) and exports to more than 60 countries across the globe.

It serves its customers from five breweries Wolverhampton, Burton, Ringwood, Cockermouth and Witney, via a state of the art logistics capability using a distribution fleet of 120 vehicles at 14 depots around the UK.

The business is led by Richard Westwood, who joined the business in 1976, under the plc guidance of group CEO Ralph Findlay who has been at the helm for 15 years.

Richard’s firm commitment to outstanding quality beer and customer service sits at the heart of the Beer Company and embodies every ounce of the pride in which the young brewers today carry out their craft as it did the day he started.

Marston’s Beer Company has won many awards over the last 12 months from brewing to marketing, but the ones which was celebrated most throughout the business was the ‘Publican’s National Cask Ale Supplier of the Year’ an award won by Marston’s three times out of the four it has been awarded.

Simon Barnes, sales director, has commented: “It is is impossible to put it down to one thing, every customer is different – that’s why we will never have a sale scripts in our customer service department, everyone works with us for the right reason for their business and that’s how it should be.”

In December 2016 MD Richard Westwood was awarded the British Guild of Beer Writers ‘Brewer of the Year’ for his ‘dedication to brewing and constant engagement and encouragement of brewers and beer advocates alike’ - at the heart of this is innovation.

A team of more than 30 brewers work across the five breweries, including 11 master brewers, more than any other British brewer. A number which includes five women, two of whom are master brewers including director of brewing Emma Gilleland (recently Parliamentary Brewer of the Year) and innovation brewer Genevieve Upton. Both of whom along with Paddy McGinty, head brewer in Burton on Trent, are the drivers behind recent innovations such as the 600 pint nano brewery in Burton.

The nano brewery encourages the brewers bring new ideas to life in partnership with local licensees, other brewers, and food producers to create great flavour matching beers. Simon Yates in Wolverhampton has also been acclaimed for the Single Hop variety beers and the Revisionist range; all these bringing new flavours and styles to todays demanding young beer drinkers.

The company has invested a six figure sum in training and development of its people over the last 12 months and this is planned to continue over the years to come.

Richard Westwood said: “Continuous investment in our people has reaped the business tremendous rewards particularly in brewing but also across the breadth of the business in areas such as distribution and logistics, sales and marketing.”

Marston’s Beer Company is a market leading business – one of its bottled beers is sold every three seconds. That is a challenge to live up to which drives the constant demand for innovation and great customer service.

In the last five years the beer market in the UK has experienced exponential change, new breweries popping up everywhere, this has created a demand for continuous innovation from consumers and one which the company is keen to embrace but only with quality at its heart.

This year alone there are visitors from different continents queuing up to work with Marston’s brewing team to experience working with one of the most renown names in the brewing world. An example of this is close working relationship Marston’s has developed with Shipyard Brewing Company in Portland, Maine USA in which both parties brew beers inspired by one another, this has led to Shipyard American Pale Ale, produced at Park Brewery, Wolverhampton becoming the number two craft beer in the UK in 2016.

Whilst Marston’s has world famous beers such as Hobgoblin (currently the UK’s second most shopped beer brand and number three in YouGov Best Brands of 2016) and Marston’s Pedigree in its portfolio, core to the businesses strategy is ‘being local’.

Provenance is critical to the individual breweries success and runs through core of each site for every customer. Hobgoblin was a local Oxfordshire brewer not long ago and the Wychwood Brewery continues to play an important role in its community with key events such as the annual Halloween event at the brewery.

Ringwood has popular tours and involvement in the New Forest Show. Burton, Cockermouth and Wolverhampton have open days, fund raising events, jazz festivals and carol services and there are big plans to come to continue how the company is cemented into each community.

Pedigree is famous for its sponsorship of test match cricket grounds which reach extensive international audiences but this is as important as the local sponsorship of Himley Cricket Club or the company’s long standing relationship with Walsall FC, (Banks’s Stadium) one of the longest sponsorships in the football league.

The company is also proud sponsor of Compton Hospice’s cycling initiative ‘Round the Wrekin Sportive’ which will see a team of at least 20 from Marston’s Beer Company participate, including MD Richard.

Richard added: “Our role in each of our communities is a contributor to our success, the heartland of each brewery is where the business started, where you will find it strongest advocates, our most loyal drinkers.”

The beer market has changed dramatically over the last decade, Marston’s Beer Company has been ready at each turn maximising its knowledge and brewing heritage, invested in our state of the art logistics capabilty and developed our young and innovative brewing team, collectively this has enabled of core brewing business to grow strongly in both revenue and earnings over the last year as the business continues to outperform the market.

Marston’s Beer Company has 27% of the premium bottled ale market and 20% of the premium cask ale, the business is in a strong position to optimise to exciting times ahead in the sector and has the people, the skills, the innovation plan and the network in place.