Family-owned brewing and hospitality firm SA Brain & Co has toasted a rise in sales and profit with its expanding coffee chain venture Coffee#1 the stand-out performer with a 30% year-on-year rise in turnover.
The Cardiff-headquartered firm, which employs more than 2,000 staff across its brewing, pub, restaurant, accommodation and coffee chain interests, generated sales of £123m in the year to the end of September 2014, up £800,000 on previous year.
A management restructuring and centralising of functions such as in marketing and HR – undertaken prior to the financial year – helped to ensure a 113% rise in operating profit to £5.4m.
Coffee#1, which contributed around 10% of total group sales, expanded by nine outlets during the year. That expansion is continuing apace in the current financial year with SA Brain to open its 50th outlet in Fareham in Hampshire next month.
