Innovative buildings help quench Britain’s changing drinking habits

A leading supplier of temporary buildings is helping to quench Britain’s growing thirst for beer at home.

Supermarkets and off-licences sold more beer than pubs and clubs for the first time last year as booming demand hit record levels.

And Spaciotempo are helping brewing giants Marston’s to keep pace by putting up four new warehouses at the company’s site in Burton.

The buildings will increase storage capacity by a massive 45 per cent – creating space for as many as 14 million bottles of beer.

It’s the final stage of major plans to increase production at the site following the installation of a new £7.4 million bottling plant last year.

Sales of beer in pubs dwindled by 0.8 per cent last year, according to figures from the British Beer and Pub Association, while ‘off-trade’ business shot up by 3.5 per cent – taking the home market past the retail trade for the first time on record.

Marston’s saw take-home trade grow by more than 10 per cent in the last 12 months alone and is ramping up on-site storage to keep pace.

Spaciotempo, based in Uttoxeter, are replacing two of its existing warehouses at Burton with new units that will create a massive 8,500 square metres of storage and room for 13,500 pallets.

Work to erect four 6m-high buildings, each measuring 30 x 85m, has recently commenced and is expected to be completed in just three months.”

The project is one of the biggest to date for Spaciotempo, which supplies a range of innovative temporary and semi-permanent buildings for a wide variety of purposes.

Scott Jameson, managing director of Spaciotempo, said: “Marston’s wanted to significantly increase storage capacity at their Burton site and we’ve worked with them to develop the ideal solution.

“We’ve carried out all the planning, groundworks and drainage already and, once the building programme starts, they’ll be up and running in less than three months.

“It’s a significant deal for both them and us, in fact it’s one of the biggest we’ve ever done, and it extends a partnership between the two companies which stretches back six years.

“We help clients to meet the changing demands of their business and this is the perfect example of that approach.”

Marston’s say the take-home market for lager and premium bottled ale shot up by more than 10.5 per cent year on year.

Emma Gilleland, director of brewing for Marston’s, said: “We’ve seen significant growth in the take-home market over the last couple of years.

“More people than ever before are enjoying a beer in the comfort of their own home, so we’ve moved to ensure supply keeps up with demand.

“The bottling plant, which opened last year, was the first stage of that plan and new storage facilities will give us the huge amount of extra warehouse capacity we need.”

Ms Gilleland says Spaciotempo has played a key role in helping Marston’s to grow as a business.

She added: “They’re providing a quality, cost-effective, long-term solution that meets our needs perfectly.

“Our forecasts indicate the home market will continue to grow and this project will satisfy demand for the next 18 months.”

www.spaciotempo.co.uk