Time for pessimism or optimism?

SIBA’s Chief Executive Andy Slee is focussing on the positive as he and the rest of the Board work on a strategy to help independent breweries thrive in these challenging times…

These are tough times for everyone. Except, it seems, bankers, utility companies and those lucky enough to secure PPE contracts during Covid. The hospitality sector continues to struggle, and in a declining beer market SIBA members have still not recovered to prepandemic levels of trade.

The pub trade has recently been very effective in painting a public picture of jeopardy and despair. But at what cost? The mood around the sector has been downbeat, inward investment difficult to attract and who wants to socialise and work in a sector where ‘the end of the world is nye’?

Every business closure is a personal tragedy for those involved, doubly so for pubs and independent breweries who play such a vital role in their local communities. My heart sinks at the closure of either.

However, I came into the role of SIBA Chief Executive with the overriding thought that our members generate 60-70% of the goodwill towards Britain’s national drink. Why then do we only enjoy 6% of sales?

That, to me, feels like an opportunity we can attack collectively.

I have spoken to many independent brewers in recent months and am left perpetually amazed by their resilience, willingness to innovate and passion for their role in the community they serve. On my travels members talk about common barriers in their way; access to market, lack of capital to grow and expand, availability of labour - both quantity and quality - legislation that’s designed for global not local businesses and of course the hardy perennial taxation.

There is no silver bullet to any of these challenges but along with my colleagues and your elected Board representatives we are developing a plan to help overcome and reduce those barriers over time. We are focussing on policy, member services and commercial development as priorities and will be working hard over the summer to develop an integrated plan of attack we can share more widely.

People, especially governments, love good news stories and opportunities, and there aren’t too many of them around at the moment, so this is an opportunity to strike.

Whilst I can’t promise miracles, the one thing I know for sure is that if we stick together as independent brewers and focus on the things we agree on we have a greater chance to grow, survive and thrive.

Independent brewing is a rare British millennial manufacturing success story, and if we pull together then I believe our best times are ahead of us.

I look forward to working with you all on the challenge ahead.

Chief Executive SIBA