HR strategy
Case Study
BULLMAN’S BREWERY CO LTD
Background to the Case Study.
1. Bullman’s brewery was founded in the 1880s by the Bullman family and is based in the Toxteth area of Liverpool. The company owns two breweries, one in Toxteth and one in St Helens, together with 400 public houses and off-licences situated in Liverpool, Merseyside and Lancashire. The two breweries together produced 190,000 barrels of beer in 2011, although at their peak output in 2007 they turned out 240,000 barrels. Excluding the company’s tenants, some 1500 people are employed at the breweries, in distribution, in the small soft drinks subsidiary, in administration and as public house managers.
2. From its foundation until 2011, the company was run by the Bullman family, who owned the majority of the shares. In 2008 however, the largest single shareholder, Sir Gervase Bullman, died and the remaining family directors decided to accept an offer to acquire the business from Grand Central Hotels Ltd, a large London based leisure and catering business. There were no significant changes in the management following the take-over. Sir Gervase Bullman’s son Edward continued as chair and MD, Grand Central’s finance director, B.C. Grizzard, joined the Bullman board but took no part in the day-to-day management of the business.
3. Against the national trend in beer output, the company’s sales declined from 240,000 barrels in 2007 to 215,000 in 2008 before slumping to 185,000 barrels in 2007. At the company’s annual general meeting in January 2013, the chair blamed the fall in sales on the level of unemployment on Merseyside. Nevertheless the new MD of Grand Central, Harry Bell, decided to take a personal interest in the management of the brewery and in February 2013 visited Liverpool on a ‘fact finding’ mission. Having spoken to Edward Bullman and other members of senior management, he inspected the two breweries, the five depots and several public houses. He came to the
BULLMAN’S BREWERY CO LTD
Background to the Case Study.
1. Bullman’s brewery was founded in the 1880s by the Bullman family and is based in the Toxteth area of Liverpool. The company owns two breweries, one in Toxteth and one in St Helens, together with 400 public houses and off-licences situated in Liverpool, Merseyside and Lancashire. The two breweries together produced 190,000 barrels of beer in 2011, although at their peak output in 2007 they turned out 240,000 barrels. Excluding the company’s tenants, some 1500 people are employed at the breweries, in distribution, in the small soft drinks subsidiary, in administration and as public house managers.
2. From its foundation until 2011, the company was run by the Bullman family, who owned the majority of the shares. In 2008 however, the largest single shareholder, Sir Gervase Bullman, died and the remaining family directors decided to accept an offer to acquire the business from Grand Central Hotels Ltd, a large London based leisure and catering business. There were no significant changes in the management following the take-over. Sir Gervase Bullman’s son Edward continued as chair and MD, Grand Central’s finance director, B.C. Grizzard, joined the Bullman board but took no part in the day-to-day management of the business.
3. Against the national trend in beer output, the company’s sales declined from 240,000 barrels in 2007 to 215,000 in 2008 before slumping to 185,000 barrels in 2007. At the company’s annual general meeting in January 2013, the chair blamed the fall in sales on the level of unemployment on Merseyside. Nevertheless the new MD of Grand Central, Harry Bell, decided to take a personal interest in the management of the brewery and in February 2013 visited Liverpool on a ‘fact finding’ mission. Having spoken to Edward Bullman and other members of senior management, he inspected the two breweries, the five depots and several public houses. He came to the