Damm strengthens its presence in the United Kingdom, a key market in its internationalization strategy. The Barcelona-based group has purchased the Eagle Brewery factory, with a production capacity of one million hectoliters per year and located in the city of Bedford (capital of Bedfordshire county), 90 kilometers north of London. These facilities currently already bottle barrels of the Estrella Damm brand and belonged to the Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company (CMBC) group, which has five other breweries in the country.
Opened in 1976, Damm's new English plant employs 67 people, who will become part of the group chaired by Demetrio Carceller. According to the company, the location of Eagle Brewery is strategic, as it is situated between London and Birmingham, the two most populated cities in England. Currently, more than 10,000 British bars and restaurants already offer Damm group beers to their customers, and the brand is also sold in the country's main supermarket chains, such as Asda, Tesco, Waitrose, Sainsbury's, Morrison's, Ocado, and Co-op.
"Today we take another step in our growth in the international market with the announcement of the purchase of the Eagle Brewery beer factory. Over the last few years, we have strengthened the presence of our extensive beer portfolio in bars and restaurants worldwide, always supported by the best gastronomy and the promotion of the Mediterranean lifestyle. This acquisition will make our position in the British market stronger and will help boost the growth of our brand in the United Kingdom, a key market for the company's international growth," said Damm's executive president, Demetrio Carceller Arce.
Eagle Brewery will become Damm's second factory outside Spain. The other is located in the Portuguese city of Santarém, acquired in 2009 from the Portuguese brewer Cintra. The internationalization of the brand has been one of Damm's main priorities in the last decade, an effort that has allowed 30% of the group's business volume to currently be generated in the foreign market, where the Barcelona-based brand has managed to penetrate more than 130 countries.
At the Bedford factory, the Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company group produced beers under the Eagle brand (which is not included in this operation) and also packaged third-party brands, making Damm one of the clients of these facilities. Company sources explain that, from now on, the plant will only package beers from Damm's brands, which expects to be able to grow strongly in the British market thanks to this acquisition and the fact of having a direct presence in the country.
Damm landed in the United Kingdom in the late 80s, taking advantage of the pull its beers had among British tourists visiting Spain. Currently, it markets in the country the brands Estrella Damm, Inedit, Daura, Free Damm, Free Damm Lemon, Free Damm Tostada, Complot, Damm Lemon and the special edition of Cerveza de Navidad. To all of them, the launch of the Malaga beer Victoria has recently been added.
Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company is a joint venture formed between two groups with a century-long history in the sector: Carlsberg and the British brewer Marston's PLC. It markets brands such as Carlsberg, Brooklyn, Erdinger, Marston's and Tetley's.
In 2021, Damm increased its sales by 21.5%, to 1,488 million euros. This figure not only implies recovering pre-pandemic levels, but also exceeds the revenues recorded in 2019 by 7.5%. In terms of profitability, the group recorded a net profit of 121.3 million. The Canarian energy group Disa and the Carceller family are the main shareholders of Damm, where the German family food group Dr. Oetker also controls a 25% stake.