Black Sheep set for new era as brewer starts succession process

ONE of the best-known names in Yorkshire has confirmed its succession plans as father prepares to hand over to son.

Rob Theakston has been appointed joint managing director of the Black Sheep Brewery alongside his father, Paul, who founded the company in 1991.

Mr Theakston, 36, who joined the firm in 2007 as an assistant brewer, will work with his father for the next 18 months until his father moves to the role of non-executive chairman.

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It is hoped that his appointment, along with other developments at the brewery, will help to revitalise the real ale industry.

He said: "We have many ideas to drive the business forward and reach out to a new generation of real ale drinkers as they are the future of the industry.

"Black Sheep has grown to be a well-known brand and we have survived probably the most turbulent times in British brewing history, outliving many long- established brewers, and I hope to continue this success and innovation for years to come."

The Black Sheep Brewery, in Masham, North Yorkshire, supplies some 700 outlets throughout the North of England as well as UK wholesalers and pub chains.

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In the firm's most recent accounts, for the year to March 31, 2009, chairman Anthony Robinson admitted that the brewery had experienced its "most difficult year ever".

In addition to the global financial crisis, beer volumes were hit by poor weather in the summer of 2008 and increased commodity prices, particularly fuel, inflated costs, leading pre-tax profits to tumble from about 715,000 to almost 85,000 on a flat turnover of 17.6m.

Operating profit fell by 65 per cent to 352,000 compared to 1m the previous year.

As a result the company reduced its headcount from 104 to 100 and examined the general costs of running the business to save money.

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But the company is optimistic about the future. In the company's annual report last September, Paul Theakston said: "The really good news is that having got those changes behind us by the end of March, we have entered the new financial year a leaner and fitter organisation with a tightened management structure, well-placed to be able to take the business forward strongly.

Paul Theakston joined old family firm, T and R Theakston, in 1968 when his father, Frank, died from an illness aged 45.

Mr Theakston, the fifth generation of his family to brew in Masham, said: "Before my father died he explained to me the importance of brewing and the family's long association with Masham. As a trained brewer I became managing director of the old family firm T and R Theakston aged 23 as a trained brewer but the company was swallowed up by Scottish and Newcastle... and it wasn't the lifestyle for me.

"I wanted to stay in Masham and loved the small brewery life and so Black Sheep was born."

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Mr Theakston bought the former Lightfoot's brewery site from an animal feed company in 1990 and wanted to use the Lightfoot name to bring back an old brewing tradition.

However, he discovered the name had already been trademarked by Scottish and Newcastle.

The associations of Masham with sheep led him to come up with the name 'Sheep Brewery' which later became 'Black Sheep' at his wife's suggestion.

As a youngster, Rob Theakston spent his school holidays helping to re-build the brewery but decided to train in agriculture and animal science when he left school instead of joining the family business.

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He returned to the brewing trade in 1997 and studied at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh to qualify as a brewer.

He went on to work as a brewer at Carlsberg in Leeds before returning to Black Sheep in 2007 to look after the distribution and technical services teams.

His brother, Jo, heads up the marketing team and is responsible for the bottled beer sales side of the business.

Paul Theakston said: "It will be a great experience spending the next chapter working with my sons and a great management team to take the business forward and continue the success we have had until now."

Theakston's 'friendly rivalry'

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The Black Sheep Brewery faces "friendly rivalry" from T and R Theakston, the family firm which Paul Theakston left after it was swallowed up by Scottish and Newcastle.

In 2003 Mr Theakston's cousins, Simon, Edward, Nick and Tim Theakston, bought back the company, which was founded by their great-great-grandfather in Masham in 1827.

Black Sheep, founded in 1990, currently supplies some 700 outlets throughout the North of England. The brewery produces a range of well-hopped bitters, to distinguish itself from Theakston's range of fruity and yeasty beers.

It produces four cask ales – Black Sheep Ale, Best Bitter, Riggwelter, and Golden Sheep – as well as five bottled beers – Black Sheep Ale, Monty Python's Holy Grail Ale, Riggwelter, Golden Sheep, and Yorkshire Square Ale.

According to the company's website Riggwelter takes its name from the local Yorkshire Dales dialect. When a sheep is on its back and can't get up without help, local dialect says it is riggwelted.