The state of the brewing industry

 


Our Directors Mike and Keith were interviewed by the Shoreham Herald last week for their take on the state of the industry, in light of the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic, and how it's impacted us at Riverside Brewery.

Isabella Cipirska from the paper took notes as they spoke about the industry-wide 49% drop in sales compared to 2019, even after the re-opening of bars and pubs. They also discussed how small breweries like ours also now face the very real possibility of the government rolling back its Small Breweries tax relief, bringing extra financial hardship. With the funds from the grant which was made available to small businesses starting to run dry, and many of the Christmas markets that we would normally attend being cancelled, the near future looks tough. 

But, it’s not all doom and gloom — Keith and Mike also discussed how it was always our intention to roll out an online store and to offer home deliveries, but as the pandemic took hold, we decided to implement those earlier than planned. As Mike says, it was “quite a steep learning curve” to set up the shop, but well worth the efforts. And for those early weeks when many couldn’t leave their homes, having a beer delivery was a welcome sight! 




Image copyright Shoreham Herald 

So, 2021 looks like it will likely remain hard going, at least for the first few months when traditionally alcohol sales are down. But as long as we can keep the lights on, then we’ll keep on brewing. It’s what we love doing, as anyone who chats to Mike or Keith will know. 

Now, in the lead up to Christmas, we are preparing ourselves for a different kind of festive season and, in addition to our standard range of gift packs, are introducing an exciting new product for 2020 — personalised gift packs. The perfect gift for your beer loving friends and relatives; any two of our 500ml craft beers personalised with their name and photo. The gift pack also includes a brewery pint glass. 






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