Charles Wells Ltd

Charles Wells Ltd
Charles Wells Ltd
Industry Hospitality industry and alcoholic beverages
Founded 1876
Founder(s) Charles Wells
Headquarters Bedford, UK
Key people Paul Wells
Products Public houses and beer
Revenue £225.1m[1]
Divisions Charles Wells Pub Company and Wells & Young's Brewery - 60% share

Charles Wells Ltd is the holding company of the Charles Wells Pub Company, a pub chain, and 60% shareholder of Wells & Young's, a brewing company formed from the merger of the brewing operations of Young's Brewery with Charles Wells.[2] Charles Wells Ltd was founded in 1876 by Charles Wells in Bedford, England.

The Charles Wells Pub Company controls 237 public houses in England and four in France.[3] Wells & Young's brew Charles Wells, Young's and Courage brand beers, along with contract beers, such as Kirin Ichiban and Red Stripe.[4]


Contents

History

Charles Wells Ltd (also known as Charles Wells Brewery and Pub Company, and previously as Charles Wells Family Brewery) was founded by Charles Wells in 1876. In 1875, a two and a quarter acre site came to auction on the banks of the River Ouse as it ran through Bedford. This site contained both a coal depot and a brew house; included in the price were 35 pubs, mainly in Bedford and the surrounding area.

Wells thought that beer would always be in demand, and with the help of his father he purchased the site and began work to turn the small brew house into a fully fledged brewery which could serve the county.

As water is an essential ingredient for any beer, good quality water is needed in order to create the best beer. In 1902, Wells climbed a local hill a couple of miles from the brewery and sank his own well to tap into an underground reservoir of water, purified through layers of chalk and limestone. All Charles Wells beer, and with the recent joint venture with Youngs all Youngs beers, are made with water drawn from this well.

By 1976, exactly 100 years since the company was established, the brewing operation moved from the Horne Lane site to a new site, the Eagle Brewery on Havelock Street. The move came about due to an increased demand for the company's beers, spurred on by a deal with Red Stripe brewery Desnoes & Geddes. This offered the company the chance to install the most up-to-date brewing equipment, and a state of the art bottling line.

The company is still in the family's hands, with the fifth generation coming into the business. There are currently three members of the family who work at the brewery, all serving on the boards of directors for both Charles Wells and Wells & Young's. Charles Wells Pub Company has an estate of more than 250 pubs across the Eastern region, while Wells & Young's beers are distributed through both the Charles Wells and Young's pub estates.[5]

Charles Wells

Charles Wells, after whom the company is named, was born in Bedford in 1842; he left school at the age of 14 and ran away to sea by boarding the frigate 'Devonshire' which was bound for India. In the late 1860s, Wells was promoted to Chief Officer when he fell in love with and proposed to a Josephine Grimbley. Unfortunately, his prospective father-in-law put paid to his plans when he announced that no daughter of his would marry a man who would be away at sea for months at a time. And so Wells, desperate to marry his sweetheart, left his sea-faring career and in 1876 established the Charles Wells Family Brewery to provide beer for the local population of Bedfordshire.

Charles Wells Pub Company

The Charles Wells Pub Company was formed as a distinct pub estate for Charles Wells Ltd when the parent company merged its brewing operations with London's Young's Brewery to form Wells & Young's Brewery.[6] The pub company controls 251 houses, all run on tenancy or lease agreements, and declared an operating profit of £6 million in December 2008.[7]

The company has become well known for the support it gives to its licensees and won the title of Pub Company of the Year (tenanted/leased 200+) at The Publican Awards for two years running - in 2009 and 2010. Charles Wells also won The Retention Award at the Springboard Awards for Excellence 2010 in recognition of its work in recruiting, training and supporting licensees.

It's 5 day induction programme (CRISP - Charles Wells Retail Induction Support Programme)helps prepare licensees for every aspect of running their own business and is part of their comprehensive training schedule which is open to everyone.

Wells & Young's

On 23 May 2006 the company announced that it was to form a new joint venture brewing company with the Young & Co's brewery, who moved their brewing production from the Ram Brewery in Wandsworth. The firm is called Wells & Young Brewing, with Charles Wells having a 60% stake and Young & Co 40%, it went into operation on the 2nd October 2006. Wells & Youngs are now responsible for brewing, distributing and marketing Charles Wells' and Young & Co's brands at the Eagle Brewery in Bedford. The company is operated at arms' length from both Young's and Charles Wells, which retain their separate distribution networks. Directors from both companies sit on the Wells & Young's Board.

References


External links


Coordinates: 52°07′53″N 0°28′56″W / 52.1313°N 0.4822°W / 52.1313; -0.4822


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Charles Wells — may refer to: Companies Charles Wells Ltd, the Charles Wells Family Brewery Wells Young s, the brewing operation of Charles Wells Ltd and Young s People Charles Jeremiah Wells (1798? 1879), English poet Charles Richard Bubba Wells (born 1974),… …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Robert Cockerell — (portrait by Ingres, 1817) Born 27 April 1788(1788 04 27) London Died …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Laughton — En 1940 Données clés Naissance …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Charles Alston — Charles Alston, 1939 Charles Henry Alston (28 de noviembre de 1907 27 de abril de 1977) fue un artista, muralista y maestro estadounidense. Inició su carrera artística mientras estudiaba en la Universidad de Columbia, donde obtuvo su …   Wikipedia Español

  • Charles Voysey (architect) — Charles Francis Annesley Voysey Born 1857 Yorkshire, England Died 1941 Winchester, England Nationality English Awards RIBA Gold Medal, 1940 …   Wikipedia

  • Charles H. Workman — (5 May 1873 – 1 May 1923) was a singer and actor best known as a successor to George Grossmith in the comic baritone roles in Gilbert and Sullivan operas. He was sometimes credited as C. Herbert Workman or C. H. Workman. Contents …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Fane de Salis — MA, DD (theol), was Bishop of Taunton from 1911 to 1930. Born in Fringford, Oxfordshire on 18th or 9 March 1860 into a clerical family [His father was the Reverend H.J.A.Fane de Salis > The Clergy List, Clerical Guide and Ecclesiastical Director …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Mackerras — Mackerras in 2005. Sir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras, AC, CH, CBE (pronounced /məˈkɛrəs/; 17 November 1925 – 14 July 2010)[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Charles T. Barney — Not to be confused with Charles D. Barney who also worked in finance. Charles Tracy Barney (January 27, 1851[1] – November 14, 1907) was the president of the Knickerbocker Trust Company, the collapse of which shortly before Barney s death sparked …   Wikipedia

  • Charles Darwin — « Darwin » redirige ici. Pour les autres significations, voir Darwin (homonymie). Charles Darwin …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”