Blog Tracker
22-02-2018, 09:46
Visit the Boak and Bailey's Beer Blog site (https://boakandbailey.com/2018/02/bit-fullers-dark-star-plus-links/)
https://boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/dark__star_sold.jpg
Having reacted in the immediate aftermath (https://boakandbailey.com/2018/02/thought-day-fullers-dark-star/) of the news that Fuller’s has acquired Dark Star we’ve been thinking and talking about it since, and seeking additional input.First, we asked on Twitter whether they thought this was good or bad news. Predictably, lots of people wanted a not sure, don’t know, don’t care option, which we deliberately omitted because we were after a decisive result. But of course that’s the camp we’re in, though erring on the optimistic side — Dark Star seemed in the doldrums to us and this is more likely to lift it than destroy it. Of the 425 people who did feel strongly and sure enough to vote, 65 per cent leaned that way too:
POLL: Fuller's taking over Dark Star!? This is…
— Boak and Bailey (@BoakandBailey) February 20, 2018 (https://twitter.com/BoakandBailey/status/965928647180906496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
In the meantime some concrete information has emerged. For the*Morning Advertiser*James Beeson*interviewed Dark Star MD James Cuthbertson (https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2018/02/21/Dark-Star-boss-sale-to-Fuller-s-is-a-natural-fit) who said:
“There will be some overlap in our accounts and sales teams, and there will be some redundancies, which we will hope to keep to a minimum. However, Fuller’s have worked very hard to make sure their ex-staff are well looked after, and this ties back into the overriding point which is that they just ‘get it’; they know how to treat beer and treat people.”
There have also been substantial reflective pieces from*Pete Brown, who is typically keyed into the emotional aspect of the story (https://www.petebrown.net/2018/02/21/favourite-brewery-gets-bought-sold-taken/):
When a brewery gets bought, depending on the circumstances, it can feel as though people you believed in to live the dream on your behalf have turned out to be just like everyone else – they’ve disillusioned you and let you down. Alternatively, it may be that they stood heroically for as long and they could, but eventually had no choice to succumb, proving that a rebellious, anti-establishment stance is always ultimately doomed to failure.
And*Roger Protz, who is generally critical of takeovers and sensitive to corporate skullduggery, but*here says (http://protzonbeer.co.uk/comments/2018/02/21/dark-star-can-we-look-on-the-bright-side):
The success of the craft beer sector is creating a number of acquisitions…. These takeovers have been driven to a large extent by rapidly declining sales of global lager brands and old-fashioned keg ales. Fuller’s on the other hand is not a global brewer and its beer sales are not in decline. But working with Dark Star and creating collaboration beers with Moor Beer of Bristol and Marble has shown the kudos that can be gained by identifying with a craft sector that has such appeal to younger and discriminating drinkers.
His summary of the background to Fuller’s takeover of Gale’s in 2005 is helpful, too: an uninterested family, a decrepit brewery, and little choice for Fuller’s but to close it down; but lingering local resentment all the same.
* * *Some people seem puzzled or even irritated at the focus on this story, especially those who don’t live in or anywhere near London and the Home Counties, but of course it’s not just about Dark Star — it’s a case study in what might happen elsewhere in the country.
If you want to play the prediction game perhaps start by looking for a brewery with a convincing modern*craft beer identity (https://boakandbailey.com/guides-lists/when-we-say-craft-beer-we-mean/) and high profile, but that has seemed a unsteady in recent years. Dark Star, the example at hand, lost its superstar head brewer, Mark Tranter, in 2013, after which its beer was widely perceived as having dipped in quality. It also seemed to be struggling to maintain its relevance in a world of Cloudwaters and BrewDogs, always one rebrand behind the zeitgeist.
Or, to put all that another way, breweries rarely seem to sell up in the heady hype-phase — it’s during the come down that they’re vulnerable.
More on Fuller’s and Dark Star, Plus Links (https://boakandbailey.com/2018/02/bit-fullers-dark-star-plus-links/) originally posted at Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog (https://boakandbailey.com)
More... (https://boakandbailey.com/2018/02/bit-fullers-dark-star-plus-links/)
https://boakandbailey.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/dark__star_sold.jpg
Having reacted in the immediate aftermath (https://boakandbailey.com/2018/02/thought-day-fullers-dark-star/) of the news that Fuller’s has acquired Dark Star we’ve been thinking and talking about it since, and seeking additional input.First, we asked on Twitter whether they thought this was good or bad news. Predictably, lots of people wanted a not sure, don’t know, don’t care option, which we deliberately omitted because we were after a decisive result. But of course that’s the camp we’re in, though erring on the optimistic side — Dark Star seemed in the doldrums to us and this is more likely to lift it than destroy it. Of the 425 people who did feel strongly and sure enough to vote, 65 per cent leaned that way too:
POLL: Fuller's taking over Dark Star!? This is…
— Boak and Bailey (@BoakandBailey) February 20, 2018 (https://twitter.com/BoakandBailey/status/965928647180906496?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)
In the meantime some concrete information has emerged. For the*Morning Advertiser*James Beeson*interviewed Dark Star MD James Cuthbertson (https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2018/02/21/Dark-Star-boss-sale-to-Fuller-s-is-a-natural-fit) who said:
“There will be some overlap in our accounts and sales teams, and there will be some redundancies, which we will hope to keep to a minimum. However, Fuller’s have worked very hard to make sure their ex-staff are well looked after, and this ties back into the overriding point which is that they just ‘get it’; they know how to treat beer and treat people.”
There have also been substantial reflective pieces from*Pete Brown, who is typically keyed into the emotional aspect of the story (https://www.petebrown.net/2018/02/21/favourite-brewery-gets-bought-sold-taken/):
When a brewery gets bought, depending on the circumstances, it can feel as though people you believed in to live the dream on your behalf have turned out to be just like everyone else – they’ve disillusioned you and let you down. Alternatively, it may be that they stood heroically for as long and they could, but eventually had no choice to succumb, proving that a rebellious, anti-establishment stance is always ultimately doomed to failure.
And*Roger Protz, who is generally critical of takeovers and sensitive to corporate skullduggery, but*here says (http://protzonbeer.co.uk/comments/2018/02/21/dark-star-can-we-look-on-the-bright-side):
The success of the craft beer sector is creating a number of acquisitions…. These takeovers have been driven to a large extent by rapidly declining sales of global lager brands and old-fashioned keg ales. Fuller’s on the other hand is not a global brewer and its beer sales are not in decline. But working with Dark Star and creating collaboration beers with Moor Beer of Bristol and Marble has shown the kudos that can be gained by identifying with a craft sector that has such appeal to younger and discriminating drinkers.
His summary of the background to Fuller’s takeover of Gale’s in 2005 is helpful, too: an uninterested family, a decrepit brewery, and little choice for Fuller’s but to close it down; but lingering local resentment all the same.
* * *Some people seem puzzled or even irritated at the focus on this story, especially those who don’t live in or anywhere near London and the Home Counties, but of course it’s not just about Dark Star — it’s a case study in what might happen elsewhere in the country.
If you want to play the prediction game perhaps start by looking for a brewery with a convincing modern*craft beer identity (https://boakandbailey.com/guides-lists/when-we-say-craft-beer-we-mean/) and high profile, but that has seemed a unsteady in recent years. Dark Star, the example at hand, lost its superstar head brewer, Mark Tranter, in 2013, after which its beer was widely perceived as having dipped in quality. It also seemed to be struggling to maintain its relevance in a world of Cloudwaters and BrewDogs, always one rebrand behind the zeitgeist.
Or, to put all that another way, breweries rarely seem to sell up in the heady hype-phase — it’s during the come down that they’re vulnerable.
More on Fuller’s and Dark Star, Plus Links (https://boakandbailey.com/2018/02/bit-fullers-dark-star-plus-links/) originally posted at Boak & Bailey's Beer Blog (https://boakandbailey.com)
More... (https://boakandbailey.com/2018/02/bit-fullers-dark-star-plus-links/)