 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Brewing |
| Founded | 1806 |
| Defunct | 2000 |
| Fate | Acquired |
| Successor | Whitbread, Vaux Brewery |
| Headquarters | Sunderland,UK |
Key people | Sir Paul Nicholson (chairman) Frank Nicholson (CEO) |
Vaux Brewery was a majorbrewer andhotel owner based inSunderland, England. The company was listed on theLondon Stock Exchange. It was taken over byWhitbread in 2000.
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The company was founded in 1806 by Cuthbert Vaux (1779–1850),[1] producing several popular brands including Vaux's Stout, Maxim, Double Maxim, and Sunderland Best Bitter. For nearly 200 years, it was a major employer in the city.[2]
In 1972, the company bought theSheffield-basedWards Brewing Company, which it retained as a separate subsidiary.[3] In 1981, it attempted to establish a foothold in the U.S. with the purchase of the New York-based family-ownedFred Koch Brewery.[4]
By the 1990s, the Vaux Group had expanded into hotels. Despite the brewing business being profitable and an offer to buy it having been received from management, in March 1999 the Board accepted the advice of the Corporate Financier,BT Alex. Brown, a subsidiary ofDeutsche Bank, and decided to close both breweries.[3] This caused ChairmanSir Paul Nicholson, who disagreed with the closure decision, to resign.[5] The company changed its name to Swallow Group plc, and in July sold its tenanted pub estate to a client of the corporate financier, concentrating onSwallow Hotels business and incorporating the former Vaux-managed pub estate under theSwallow Inns & Restaurants brand.[6]
The company was taken over byWhitbread in 2000, following which most of the hotels were rebranded asMarriott and the larger pubs were brought under other national brands, such asBrewers Fayre.[7] Later, 10 hotels unsuitable for Marriott conversions were sold off, forming the nucleus of a smaller Swallow Hotels chain,[8] which collapsed in 2006.[9]
In 2000, two former Vaux directors and the former head brewer formed what is now called theMaxim Brewery, buying some of the beer brands and recipes. They resurrected the formerSamson andDouble Maxim lines.[10]
The Sunderland brewery was vacated and the buildings were demolished for redevelopment.[11] In November 2014 a partnership betweenCarillion andSunderland City Council was formed to redevelop the site.[12] However, Carillion collapsed into liquidation in January 2018. After a six-month delay, redevelopment resumed in July 2018, with Tolent as the main contractor.[13] Tolent subsequently also went into liquidation in early 2023, and completion of the contract passed toWates Group.[14]
In April 2019 a Sunderland-based company announced their intention to resurrect the Vaux brand.[15] In March 2020 the new Vaux Brewery announced plans to open a new brewery and bar in the centre of Sunderland.[16][17]
Former beer brands of Vaux include:
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
