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Mr Parkinson (centre) toasts the success of the brewery with Mr Robert Hill (deputy brewer), Mr Max Taylor (sales representative), Mr Richard Wintle (head brewer) and Mr Andrew Sanderson (delivery man). Burnley’s Moorhouses Brewery is to retain its independence following its sale yesterday. And the Accrington Road brewery is also to keep its local control as the man who has bought it, Mr Bill Parkinson, was born in Padiham. Mr Parkinson is group chairman of the Atherton-based Lifting Gear Hire Ltd and this is their first venture into the brewing industry. He has bought it from Hutchinson Leisure Group who have built up the business over the last seven years, and Mr Parkinson is confident of further expansion.
Mr Parkinson, whose parents ran a fish and chip shop in Hapton Rd, Padiham for many years, started his own business about 15 years ago, and as well as the Atherton headquarters, now has ten branches stretching from Aberdeen to London. He said “I liked the Moorhouses product very much when I tried it in a pub in Kirkham, and when I heard it was for sale, I was immediately interested. This area of Lancashire has a reputation for brewing the best beer in the country, and there is no doubt Moorhouses is part of that quality”. Mr Parkinson said that he bought the brewery himself and it was not intended as a subsidiary of his other business interests.