Belhaven Best volumes up 9 per cent

BELHAVEN, the Scottish brewer and pub owner bought last autumn by regional brewer Greene King for £190 million, has revealed a 9 per cent rise in sales volumes for the year so far of its flagship brand, Belhaven Best.

Stuart Ross, the chief executive, said the new owners were already investing in the company's operation in Dunbar, and that he had just sanctioned new brewing and kegging upgrades at the site. Ross said he had added ten pubs to its estate in Scotland since the takeover, despite industry uncertainty over what effect the smoking ban might have.

Belhaven now has 290 Scottish pubs, underlining its position as the country's second-largest owner after Punch.

Ross said it was too early to say how the ban had affected operations. "There are opportunities and threats, and a degree of nervousness. The 'dyed-in-the-wool' smokers' trade might be affected, but certainly for the food trade, there look like being good opportunities."