Historic brewery JW Lees, whose beers include Manchester Pale Ale, Governor and Moonraker, has posted record turnover and profit with managing director William Lees-Jones hailing a "great year" despite an increasingly uncertain business climate.
The company has generated a turnover of £64.1m in 2015/16, up by 0.2 per cent on a year earlier. Pre-tax profits climbed by 1.8 per cent to £5.7m and post-tax profits excluding disposals rose by 9.9 per cent to £4.5m.
All three figures represent a record high for the business, which was founded in 1828.
Lees-Jones said: "We've had a great year but at the same time if we really worked at it, how much better could we be next year and the year after?
"The next chapter is about moving from being good to being great."
At the brewery's 2016 conference (pictured above), JW Lees also revealed that it was effectively debt-free.
Lees-Jones told an audience of almost 250 that this debt position bodes well for the company's future prospects especially in the wake of the uncertainty arising from the recent Brexit vote. As a case in point, he pointed to the fact that several proposed deals in the wider food and drink sector have fallen through in the last week alone.
He now believes there are three areas that JW Lees, whose new mission statement is 'going further together to brew great times', needs to focus on in the coming years. These are improving sales, driving up standards and learning from mistakes.
And Lees-Jones reaffirmed his belief that the family ownership model remains the right option for JW Lees, especially given the huge share price fluctuations experienced by some listed food and drink companies recently.
He said: "Family ownership in a turbulent world is a great thing because it allows you to make decisions for the long-term stability of the business."
JW Lees' beers include Manchester Pale Ale, Governor, Moonraker, John Willie's and JW Lees Bitter.
