Saltaire Brewery buys Keystone in pre-pack sale, saves around 150 jobs

Joint administrators Anthony Collier and Martyn Rickels of FRP Advisory completed a pre-pack sale of the business and assets of Keystone Brewing Group to West Yorkshire-based Saltaire Brewery, securing the continuity of production and safeguarding around 150 jobs. The administrators were appointed and the sale completed on 22 January 2026, and FRP said all key operational assets have transferred to Saltaire so brewing and distribution can continue without interruption.

Saltaire is owned by Paramount Retail Group, which has announced a new vehicle called the Great British Drinks Company to combine Saltaire with the acquired Keystone brands. The buyer’s announcement on LinkedIn described a headline figure of £6.5 million for the deal, framed as a £4.5 million purchase plus a £2 million investment into Black Sheep Brewery. Companies House filings, however, list the pre-pack consideration as £4.1 million and show the group owed creditors in excess of £15 million before the sale. Company filings name Secure Trust Bank as the largest secured creditor, owed £8.6 million, and record HM Revenue and Customs as owed £3.6 million by Keystone subsidiaries Black Sheep and Purity for VAT, PAYE and duty arrears.

Keystone’s portfolio includes Black Sheep Brewery of Masham and other craft names cited across the group such as Purity Brewing Co., Magic Rock Brewing, North Brewing Company, Brew By Numbers, Brick Brewery and Fourpure. Black Sheep’s range includes Riggwelter, Best Bitter, 54 lager and Respire, and the site holds licences for Hofmeister and Sassy cider. FRP said the sale delivers a positive outcome for employees and customers alike. Anthony Collier, partner and joint administrator at FRP, said: “Keystone Brewing is a well-established and highly regarded business with strong brands and a loyal customer base. This transaction provides the business with a secure future under new ownership and delivers a positive outcome for employees and customers alike. We're pleased to have achieved a sale that preserves jobs and enables the business to continue trading seamlessly.”

The buyer’s founders signalled a stewardship approach to the acquired breweries. Sunny Sharma, co-founder of Great British Drinks Company, said: “Our approach is to ensure each brewery and its brands maintain their distinctiveness and independence, that only comes from the people and places involved, not through consolidation. Our ethos is one of stewardship.” Co-founder Ravi Sharma added: “This isn’t just a restoration deal, it’s about restoring pride to Yorkshire. The region has a proud brewing heritage, and we could not stand by and let that be lost.”

For pubs, retailers and homebrewers, the immediate practical value is reassurance that production and distribution should continue with minimal disruption and core brands will remain available. The deal also preserves local employment across sites in Warwickshire and Yorkshire and keeps heritage operations such as Black Sheep’s Masham brewery active. Outstanding questions for the coming weeks include final confirmation of the definitive sale price and the structure of any separate investment commitments, the precise headcount safeguarded at each site, and how the promised £2 million investment will be allocated to Black Sheep and Purity. Watch Companies House filings and statements from Saltaire or Great British Drinks Company for those details and for operational plans that will shape product availability and brewery stewardship moving forward.