Property developer Jaynic has agreed terms with Greene King, the UK’s leading pub company and brewer, for 7.73 acres at Suffolk Park in Bury St Edmunds for its new brewery. The plot sits alongside the 161,344 sq warehouse that Greene King leased from Jaynic last Autumn.
Greene King is investing £40 million in a new state-of-the-art brewery, building on its 200-year history of brewing in Bury St Edmunds.
Ben Oughton, development director at Jaynic, says: “We are delighted to have concluded a site sale with Greene King for its new brewing operations at Suffolk Park to sit alongside the company’s new distribution warehouse. Suffolk Park has been a huge success for Jaynic having exceeded our expectations. It leaves us with a final plot of just 5.3 acres where a reserved matters planning consent has been granted for a 77,000 sq ft logistics building. After this final phase Jaynic will have delivered a total of around 2m sq ft on the park.”
The investment into a new custom-built facility represents a major commitment from Greene King to the future of British brewing and the company’s production of cask ale, alongside its newer premium craft beer brands. It builds on the company’s 200-year history of brewing in Bury St Edmunds since its founding in 1799.
The proposed new brewery forms a key part of the company’s wider transformation programme, as Greene King continues to evolve to meet its customers’ needs. The project is directly in line with the company’s strategic driver of optimising its assets as it seeks to deliver on its strategy to be a modern hospitality business.
Greene King’s new operation will be located next to its new distribution centre and will significantly improve the sustainability of the company’s brewing operations. Per pint, water usage in the brewing process will be reduced by more than 50%, alongside significant improvements in energy efficiency. It will drive Greene King’s progression towards its science-based environmental targets, which includes the company’s aim to be carbon net zero by 2040, as well as reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030.
Over the last two years, Greene King has invested in a new multi-million-pound distribution centre, adjacent to the proposed site for the new brewery in Bury St Edmunds.
Nick Mackenzie, chief executive officer at Greene King, said: “Brewing in Bury St Edmunds is a core part of Greene King’s DNA. This investment represents a further and significant ongoing commitment to our brewing operations in a town which has such a rich and storied connection with our business and with brewing. As we seek to make our operations more sustainable, our new brewery will future proof our ability to brew our much-loved brands, as we create a thriving modern hospitality business.”
Councillor Cliff Waterman, Leader of West Suffolk Council, said: “Greene King has been an integral part of Bury St. Edmunds for more than 200 years, and it is fantastic to see their continued commitment to the town through the proposal for a state-of-the-art new brewery that will future proof their brewing operations for many years to come.”
Occupiers taking space at Suffolk Park include Weerts Group, Skechers, MH Star UK Ltd, Unipart Logistics, Treatt, Sealey and The East of England Ambulance Trust.
Suffolk Park is located within one hour of the Port of Felixstowe to the east, the UK’s largest container port and gateway to the region, and within 30 minutes of Cambridge to the west. It offers a prime and core location on the important A14 strategic corridor. Access to the Midlands, London and the South East are all convenient from Suffolk Park.