Canterbury to Close

[Shane Morley]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/rebuilding-christchurch/5059101/Can...

[jt]

No mention of the Macs production - I thought they'd taken that on board when they closed the Wellington plant down ?

[Rhyno]

That's a crying shame, that building is an icon. I used to marvel at it as we drove past on the way to school, seeing those vats behind the glass totally intrigued me as a youngster.

Typical of Lion though to not want to rebuild the old Wards brewery, to them it will just be about the bottom dollar, they would have no concept of what that building meant to people.

[Kieran Haslett-Moore]

As far as I know Macs craft beer production is being attempted at Auckland. From what I have tasted of the AK brewed variants not all that successfully.

[aldee]

So much for supporting Christchurch, bastards !

 

[James P]

It is a shame to see the brewery go, however it makes commercial sense, the same way it did to move Macs from Wellington to CHCH.

 

Alas where ever they are brewing Hop Rocker now they are using the wrong fn hops, or have decided gorse and dandelions is acceptable! Tastes like crap nowadays....

[Rhyno]

Alas where ever they are brewing Hop Rocker now they are using the wrong fn hops, or have decided gorse and dandelions is acceptable! Tastes like crap nowadays....

 

Your right there James, it's nothing like when it first came out. Maybe the bean counters got involved and decided they were spending too much on the hops they were using

[Kieran Haslett-Moore]

its coming in dozen packs line priced with Macs Gold. make your own conclusions.

[James Lawson]

I bought a pack the other day and could barely taste the hops. Call it something like "Hop Lamer", lamers.

[Hugh Grierson]

The boxes look like a cider. Beer is ok if you are looking for a light, spritzy lager, none of the malt or hops the old rocker had..its like an old friend turning emo or getting into P.

Hop Learner? Slop Rocker?

[Reviled]

Do they still harp on about their usage of Sauvin and Cascade on the bottle??

[JoKing]

It counts when you wave some hops infront of the kettle while it's boiling.... doesn't it?

[Andrew]

This is the official media release from Lion about the Canterbury closure. This was released 25th May and distributed to all the news agencies.

 

LION ANNOUNCES PLANS TO INVEST $15M ON CHRISTCHURCH CBD SITE
Lion has today announced plans to invest $15M on its Christchurch CBD site in response to the impact of the Christchurch earthquake on its Canterbury Brewery.
Lion will build a $15m state-of-the-art warehouse and distribution centre with the expectation that it will be at the Canterbury Brewery site (which is located inside the original cordoned-off CBD), as part of a $43M plan to cope with the production gap left by the badly damaged Canterbury Brewery.
“Thankfully none of our people working at the Brewery were injured in the earthquake, however the plant and equipment sustained extensive damage and we have been unable to brew beer since.” said Rory Glass, Acting Managing Director.
“While we are still working through the insurance and engineering implications of the damage at the site, it has become clear that the brewhouse and packaging hall are damaged beyond repair and we will not be able to brew in Christchurch in the foreseeable future.”
Mr Glass said the company recognises that the best way it can contribute immediately to the Christchurch recovery effort is to make decisions now.
“We want to provide certainty and safety to our people, to ensure continuity of supply to our customers and consumers, and to reinforce our ongoing commitment to Canterbury.
The decisions we are announcing today reflect the balance between our absolute commitment to doing the right thing for our people and maintaining our strong presence in Christchurch, with the reality that the St Asaph Street site cannot sustain a brewing operation for the foreseeable future.
It is very important to us that we maintain a strong presence and commitment to Christchurch. In the current circumstances this is the most pragmatic and decisive way we can do this” he said.
In addition to the $15m Christchurch warehouse and distribution centre, Lion will invest $20m to boost operating capacity at the Speight’s Brewery in Dunedin and $8M at “The Pride” in East Tamaki, Auckland to accommodate the transfer of production capability lost from Canterbury Brewery.
The central Christchurch warehouse and distribution centre will enable a more efficient and streamlined distribution service for Lion’s South Island customers. It will be built to meet the new earthquake codes and feature significant investment in new technology.
The Speight’s Brewery in Dunedin will be upgraded to assist in supply requirements across the South Island at a cost of $20m.
The $8m investment at The Pride in East Tamaki will enable the production of specialty beers like Guinness and Stella Artois Légère, previously brewed at the Canterbury Brewery.
Overall, the changes will see a reduction of 22 roles across our South Island business. We currently have approximately 28 vacancies across our wider operations business in NZ.
“We will be working closely with our Canterbury Brewery team to offer redeployment opportunities where possible, and comprehensive redundancy and support to those for whom redeployment is not possible.
We are very mindful of the impact that these decisions will have on our Christchurch people – who are already dealing with the ongoing challenges of life in the aftermath of February’s devastating events.” says Rory Glass.
The rest of Lion’s Christchurch business – sales and retail – remain focused on meeting the needs of our customers and have been fully operational since shortly after the 22nd of February. We have relocated our sales and administration offices to safe premises in Christchurch and we continue to employ over 70 people across the Canterbury region.
Christchurch will continue to be our hub for the South Island where Lion has a deep and long history.
“We believe we have achieved the best possible outcome to ensure safety and certainty for our people, continuity of supply to our customers and consumers; and to demonstrate our commitment to the social and economic re-creation of Christchurch.” concluded Mr Glass.