Damm UK boosts sales by 19% as it finalises Old Speckled Hen buyout

Damm UK delivered strong growth for the Spanish brewing group in 2025, with both sales and volume up 19% across its beer, water and soft drinks portfolio.

This represented 578,000 hectolitres out of the 22 million hectolitres the company as a whole sold in the 12 months to 31 December 2025.

Furthermore, Damm UK grew its private label and contract manufacturing business by 34%, as well as creating 40 new jobs.

Workforce expansion was driven by Damm inaugurating the New Eagle Brewery in Bedford in October last year.

Since acquiring the historic brewery in 2022 from Carlsberg Marston’s Brewing Company, Damm has invested more than £70m in a modernisation that features a state-of-the-art canning line, increasing capabilities in alcohol-free beverages and soft drinks with an additional brewstream which almost doubles capacity to 1.8 million hectolitres per year, with a target of 2 million by 2027.

The business describes the UK as one of its ‘strategic growth markets’ and it recently increased its presence by buying the Old Speckled Hen brand family from British brewer and pub group Greene King. The acquisition is set to complete on 1 July.

Luke White, managing director of Damm UK, said: “This solid business performance demonstrates the strength of our successful UK strategy, following sustained investment in the Damm Eagle Brewery which has seen the rise of Estrella Damm and our wider portfolio, as well as driving industry awareness around Damm UK.

“This has given us the platform to make bigger strategic moves to accelerate our growth, such as evolving our portfolio with the acquisition of Old Speckled Hen cementing Damm UK position as the largest independent brewer in the UK market."

The Damm group’s overall 2025 financial performance delivered €2.01b in revenue, EBITDA of €320m and net profit of €155m.

As Damm celebrates its 150th anniversary, the company is entering a new phase of growth with the aim of doubling revenue by 2030.

The strategy builds on Damm’s existing business model while focusing on the areas that “will allow the company to stay relevant, scale up and yet remain adaptable in the years ahead”.

Executive chairman Demetrio Carceller Arce said: “In this, our 150th anniversary year, Damm is celebrating that as a business it has successfully grown, diversified and adapted while remaining true to its identity.

“As we look to 2030, our focus will be on strengthening our brands, expanding into new opportunities across food and beverage, and growing our international presence further. We will continue to plan long term across our pillars of people, innovation and with operational excellence at the heart of our future.”

Damm’s brands, including Estrella Damm, Damm Lemon, Complot, Inedit, Daura and Rosa Blanca, are now present in more than 130 countries, with proprietary-brand exports reaching 88 markets. In 2025, international operations continued to grow and now represent 30% of Damm’s overall business.

The company employed 6,393 people at the end of 2025, representing 10.9% growth compared with the previous year. This increase was driven primarily by expansion in international markets including the UK, Portugal and China.