Adnams ailing as beer goes flat in crisis

The firm, which has been brewing ale at the Sole Bay Brewery in Southwold since 1872, said trading since August was worse than expected.

Adnams' beer sales were down 6% last year but off 10% in pubs and hotels. With 39 pubs around the UK closing every week, the brewer said the industry faced "a particularly difficult period", and admitted it was "heavily exposed to the exceptionally weak trading environment".