Marston's to move 250 staff into empty Wolverhampton building
Brewery giant Marston’s has been given the go-ahead to refurbish an empty office building close to its Wolverhampton city centre headquarters, providing extra working space for more than 250 staff.
It comes one month after the firm announced that around 2,000 jobs are at risk of redundancy, after the Covid-19 pandemic saw a 30 per cent drop in annual sales, and just a few months after the announcement of the completion of the joint venture with Carlsberg UK.
St John’s House in St John’s Square has been empty for a number of years, but is now set to house employees relocating from Marston’s House in Brewery Road and also from outside the city.
Bosses have said the new site is a necessity for staff – as the merger with Carlsberg will see Marston's staff move into St John's House, and the Carlsberg brewing staff staying on the current Chapel Ash site.
Refurbishments will see new stairs and a lift tower installed at the back of the building, providing access to all floors from a new reception area. Storage and training facilities will take up the majority of the ground floor.
The site is located close to the junction of Penn Road Island and Worcester Street on the inner ring road, and sits on the corner of Church Street and St John’s Square, just under half-a-mile from the city centre.
A spokesman for KMB Construction Consultants, leading the plans, said: "The building has been redundant for a considerable period of time.
"The work is relatively modest but is necessary to meet the modern specifications required by Marston’s.
"Investing in the site will meet a range of sustainability criteria, not least in terms of making the best use of previously developed land.
"The redevelopment will maintain jobs for local people and also contribute to the visual improvement of the conservation area. These proposals are key to bringing life back to the site and employment to this part of the city centre."
