Asahi is to close its brewing site in Greenwich and move production of Meantime and Dark Star beers to the Fuller’s Griffin Brewery in Chiswick.
The move would centre all of Asahi UK’s “local beer brands” under a single production site in west London, the brewer said.
It would “be mutually beneficial to both the Chiswick site and all the brands produced there”, Asahi UK claimed.
It is understood the move will result in some redundancies. Affected employees are being offered alternative employment where possible at the Fuller’s site, which is currently operating under capacity.
The exact number of staff impacted was not disclosed.
Asahi said Meantime and Dark Star beers would “continue to deliver the great standards consumers expect and will retain their own unique brand identities”.
It added plans were underway for the creation of a “new standalone consumer retail experience” in Greenwich to celebrate the heritage of the Meantime brand.
“We are committed to treating all colleagues impacted by this proposal with compassion and respect, and believe this is the best course of action for supporting the success of our brands and our sites,” a spokeswoman for Asahi UK said.
Meantime was founded in Greenwich, south east London and sold to Asahi by SABMiller in 2016.
Asahi UK moved production of Dark Star beers to Meantime in late 2022, having closed the former Sussex beer brand’s original production site in Partridge Green, Sussex.
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