Press release re Boddingtons closure plans

[Neil Worthington]

[Forwarded from CAMRA HQ by the North Manchester branch of CAMRA]

Press Conference

T and G join forces with CAMRA and Manchester City Council to save
Boddingtons in Manchester, Tuesday 26th October 11.00am
Room 301, Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, M60 2LA

The campaign to stop the closure of the historic Boddingtons brewery at
Strangeways in Manchester will take a significant leap forward next week
when the Transport and General Workers Union, the UK's largest trade
union in the brewing industry which represents the sixty Manchester
workers whose jobs are under threat, joins forces with the Campaign for
Real Ale (CAMRA) and Manchester City Council.

A press conference at Manchester Town Hall has been organised for
11.00am on Tuesday 26th October to detail plans. It is anticipated that
the Manchester Town Crier will be ringing in the briefing. Union
representatives will spell out how the industrial campaign is
progressing, including a formal announcement of the result of the ballot
for strike action.

The CAMRA leaders will be stressing the importance of maintaining robust
brands at a time of concentration by the big brewers, such as InBev, who
are looking to close the Manchester site. Manchester City Council
representatives, including the Leader Councillor Richard Leese, are
expected to lend their weight to the campaign by stressing the historic
links between Boddingtons and the city.

The T and G emphasised that since the last threat of closure in 2002,
the
Boddingtons brand has grown by 4 percent contributing to GBP 16.5m
profits. On the basis of this growth the union and CAMRA will stress
that the closure decision is, therefore, all about cynical corporate
greed by realising the land value of the site.

Reporters, camera crews and photographers are welcome to attend the
press conference which will be held in Room 301 of the Town Hall.
Individual interviews will be held at the conclusion of the main
briefing.

ENDS
For further information, please contact:
T and G: Andrew Dodgshon on 020 7611 2550 or 07976 832156;
CAMRA: Tony Jerome on 01727 867201;
Manchester City Council: Roger Williams on 0161 234 3275

[BrianW]

Post by Neil Worthington
[Forwarded from CAMRA HQ by the North Manchester branch of CAMRA]
Press Conference
T and G join forces with CAMRA and Manchester City Council to save
Boddingtons in Manchester, Tuesday 26th October 11.00am
Room 301, Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, M60 2LA

<snip>

Well it won't do any harm - but I doubt if it will do any good either. If
InBev have decided to close the brewery, that's what will happen. Since when
did the multinational breweries give a damn about tradition and history?
The're in it for the bottom line - profit. Much good did the campaigns to
save Matthew Brown, Bristol, and many other breweries do. Oh and don't think
that they care a jot about any adverse publicity. Quite the reverse. The
exposure of the Boddingtons name on the news - for whatever reason - will
merely serve to increase people's awareness of the brand :-(

The one crumb of comfort is that if Hydes brew cask Boddies, it will be none
the worse for that (the beer that is) and will help secure the future of
this excellent brewery - not that I am aware that it is in doubt.

Brian