Carlsberg Britvic
British beer and soft drinks subsidiary of Carlsberg Group.
Carlsberg Britvic, a British arm of the Carlsberg Group, was formed in January 2025 when Carlsberg’s UK operations—which already included the former Marston’s breweries—merged with the soft-drink firm Britvic plc. The company now runs two breweries and handles a wide range of beers and soft drinks.
The path to this merger began in 2020, when Marston’s plc combined its brewing side with Carlsberg UK in a joint venture valued at £780 million. Marston’s held a 40% stake and received up to £273 million in cash, contributing six breweries and distribution depots while keeping its 1,400 pubs. The Competition and Markets Authority approved the deal on 9 October 2020. In 2024, Marston’s sold its 40% share in the joint venture—then called CMBC—to Carlsberg for £206 million, completing the sale on 21 July 2024 to focus on its pub business. Carlsberg then bought Britvic plc for £3.3 billion, merging it into Carlsberg Marstons, and the combined group launched as Carlsberg Britvic in January 2025.
By February 2026, the company reported revenues of £10.3 billion, an 18.8% rise from the previous year and better than expected, even though organic sales fell by 2% due to losing the San Miguel licence. Savings from the Britvic merger were ahead of schedule, already reaching £110 million.
The company originally had three breweries, but after closing Banks’s Brewery in Wolverhampton in September 2025, it now operates two: the Marston’s Brewery in Burton upon Trent (founded 1834) and the Carlsberg Brewery in Northampton (opened 1974). Marston’s Brewery was one of the last major brewers to use Burton Union Sets, a linked system of fermentation barrels and troughs. Half of all the company’s beer is bottled. Marston’s Pedigree, a 4.3% ABV bitter introduced in 1952 and the firm’s flagship brand, sold 150,000 hectolitres in 2010. It was the only beer brewed using the oak Burton Union System, which gave it wood fermentation; its ingredients include mineral-enriched Burton water, malted barley, and Fuggles and Goldings hops. The Burton Union sets were retired in 2024. Since early 2014, Marston’s had brewed Thwaites’ beers after Thwaites shut its main brewery in Blackburn, and in March 2015 Marston’s bought Thwaites’ brewing arm—including the Wainwright brand—for £25.1 million. Carlsberg has produced Special Brew at its modern Northampton plant since 1974.
Quick Facts
- Founded
- 2020-11-02
- Predecessor
- Carlsberg UK • Britvic plc • Brewery business of Marston's plc
- Hq Location
- Wolverhampton, England
- Key People
- Paul Davies, CEO
- Industry
- Brewery, Soft drink
- Subsidiaries
- Britvic
- Brands
- Carlsberg (UK) / Licensee:7Up · Mountain Dew · PepsiLipton
- Products
- Marston's Pedigree, 1664, Robinsons, Tango, R. White's, J / 2 / O
- Parent
- Carlsberg A/S
- Owner
- Carlsberg Group
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The company traces its roots to the 2020 joint venture between Marston's plc and Carlsberg UK, valued at £780m, which combined Marston's six breweries and distribution depots while excluding its 1,400 pubs. Marston's held a 40% stake and received up to £273m in cash. The merger was approved by the Competition and Markets Authority on 9 October 2020. In 2024, Marston's sold its 40% share in the joint venture to Carlsberg for £206m to focus on its pub business, with the deal completed on 21 July 2024. Carlsberg then acquired Britvic plc for £3.3bn, merging it into the existing brewing operation, and the new group was formally launched as Carlsberg Britvic in January 2025.
The company originally owned three breweries, reduced to two after the Banks's Brewery in Wolverhampton closed in September 2025. The remaining breweries are the Marston's Brewery in Burton upon Trent (established 1834) and the Carlsberg Brewery in Northampton (established 1974). Marston's Brewery was one of the last major brewers to use Burton Union Sets, a system of linked fermentation barrels and troughs. Half of all the company's beer is bottled. Marston's Pedigree, a 4.3% ABV bitter introduced in 1952, was the only beer to use the oak Burton Union System for fermentation in wood; the Burton Union sets were retired in 2024. Carlsberg has produced Special Brew at Northampton since 1974. Other beers distributed include the 1664 brand, acquired from Heineken N.V. in June 2023. The Britvic subsidiary owns 39 brands in the UK, including Robinsons, Tango, R. White's, and J2O, and is the licensed bottler for PepsiCo products in the UK.
Reader's Guide
Carlsberg Britvic represents a significant consolidation in the UK beverage industry, combining brewing heritage with soft drink production under Carlsberg Group ownership. The company's formation in January 2025 followed a series of transactions: the 2020 joint venture between Marston's and Carlsberg, Marston's exit in 2024, and the £3.3bn acquisition of Britvic. In February 2026, the company reported better than expected revenues of £10.3 billion, an 18.8% rise on the previous year, despite a 2% decline in organic sales attributed to the loss of the San Miguel licence. Merger savings with Britvic were ahead of schedule, generating £110 million. The closure of Banks's Brewery in September 2025 reduced operations to two sites: the historic Marston's Brewery in Burton upon Trent, known for its Burton Union System (retired in 2024), and the modern Carlsberg Brewery in Northampton. The company's beer portfolio includes Marston's Pedigree, Thwaites' beers (brewed since 2014, with the Wainwright brand acquired in March 2015), Special Brew, and the 1664 brand. Its soft drink division, Britvic, holds 39 UK brands and the PepsiCo bottling licence. From 2007 to 2017, Marston's sponsored the England and Wales Cricket Board, with Marston's Pedigree as the official beer of the England Cricket team and exclusive beer supplier at home test matches.
Did You Know?
- The company was created in January 2025 by merging Carlsberg's UK business with Britvic plc.
- Britvic owns 39 brands in the UK and is the licensed bottler for PepsiCo products.
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