Sunderland brewer hunts top marketer

Vaux Breweries, the Sunderland-based brewer with a chain of 950 pubs in the North and Midlands, is looking for a board-level marketing director.

The role covers marketing across Vaux’s extensive brand portfolio, which includes Ward’s Best Bitter, the Vaux Bitter range, Double Maxim and Samson. It will also involve overseeing marketing for the 800 tenanted pubs and 165 managed pubs.

Vaux’s sponsor is Premier League football team Sunderland FC.

Company secretary Christopher Storey says: “The marketing director will have responsibility for the beer brands with the role extending to product wholesaling, tenancies and the retail division.”

The brewer and pub owner has been without a marketing director for a year.

There were City rumours last year that the Vaux Group parent company, listed on the stock market with a capitalisation of 400m, was looking at selling its brewing interests, leaving it with the pubs and the Swallow Hotel Group.

Bass was tipped as a likely buyer, keen to regain its position as number one brewer which it lost to Scottish & Newcastle when it acquired Courage.

The rumours were prompted by comments from chairman Sir Paul Nicholson who expressed concern at the performance of the production and wholesaling division.

Vaux Group last year announced pre-tax profits for 1995 of nearly 32m, up nearly nine per cent.

The brewing, wholesaling and pubs division brought in trading profits of 25.8m.