Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I, a proud part of AB InBev, today announces a £117 million investment in its two major UK breweries in South Wales and Lancashire to drive economic prosperity across the UK, and to increase its capacity and efficiency. The commitment comes at a time when the UK begins looking forward to recovering from the economic and employment impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At Magor in South Wales it is investing £72m to increase brewing capacity by 1.6 million hectolitres, which is the equivalent of 280 million pints of beer, creating 32 jobs by year end.

At its Samlesbury brewery in Lancashire it is investing £45m which will increase capacity by 2 million hectolitres, creating 23 jobs.

Budweiser Brewing Group is a proud British brewer with a strong presence in the UK, brewing some of the nation’s favourite beers including Budweiser, Stella Artois, Corona and Bud Light. It has been brewing in Samlesbury since 1972, and Magor since 1979, and is an important local employer in its communities, employing more than 1,000 people across the two sites. At both breweries, its average salaries are well above the average for the local area.

The investment is good news for the UK economy after a tough year and underlines the value of the beer industry. In the UK, the beer sector as a whole is responsible for nearly 900,000 brewing and pub jobs, and the value of these jobs to the UK economy is £22.9 billion.

The primary focus of Budweiser Brewing Group’s investment will be installing modern and eco-friendly infrastructure at both breweries to increase capacity in brewing, canning and bottling by a total of 3.6m hL (hectolitres), the equivalent of 630 million pints a year once all projects are complete. As a result, by the end of 2021, the company will have hired 55 new employees across both sites.

Paula Lindenberg, President, Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I, said: “Like many in the UK, we are focussed on a strong recovery of our economy, our communities and our country. By investing in our breweries with new roles and new technology to increase capacity, we’re ensuring that we can brew and deliver great beers for many years to come. “We know the beer industry is hugely valuable to the UK economy, and we believe our investments in our UK operations will be a catalyst for the recovery post-Covid.”

Lord Gerry Grimstone, Minister for Investment, said: “Budweiser Brewing Group’s investment is great news for South Wales and Lancashire, supporting local jobs and helping the nation build back better from Covid-19 crisis. The UK remains extremely attractive to international investors and this  £115m investment is further testament to our fantastic beer industry.”