Adnams: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
Adnams PLC has no person with significant control recorded on the Companies House register. In the year to December 2025 it reported turnover of £64m.
- In the year to December 2025, Adnams had turnover of £64m, down 6.4% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax loss of £0.7m, losing £1.17 of every £100 of sales.
- It employed an average of 566 people, with staff costs of £16m.
- These figures are from Adnams PLC's accounts for the year to December 2025, filed at Companies House on 27 June 2026.
- Registered name
- ADNAMS PLC
- Company number
- 00031114
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 24 March 1890
- Registered office area
- Ipswich
- Industry code on the register
- 11010: Manufacture of beverages
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to December 2025, filed 27 June 2026
What does Adnams do?
Adnams is a brewer and distiller in Southwold, Suffolk, best known for Ghost Ship pale ale and its Copper House gin. It brews and distils in Southwold and sells its drinks wholesale to pubs and supermarkets. It also runs its own pubs and hotels, and Adnams shops selling beer, wine, spirits and kitchenware. Adnams is a public limited company whose shares are not listed on a stock exchange.
In brief: brewer and distiller · Southwold, Suffolk · Ghost Ship · pubs, hotels and shops
Source: Spark Intel editorial, checked 4 November 2026. Official website: adnams.co.uk.
Who owns Adnams?
Adnams PLC, company number 00031114, has no person with significant control recorded on the register. The full record is linked below.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Adnams?
The Companies House register lists 6 current officers for Adnams PLC.
All 6 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Jennifer Elizabeth Imogen Hanlon | 18 June 2020 |
| Billy Anthony French | 18 October 2021 |
| William Simon Townsend | 1 January 2023 |
| Sacha Mark Berendji | 3 February 2023 |
| Andrew Michael Hilliard Heald | 30 June 2023 |
| Andrew David Driscoll | 1 September 2025 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Adnams file?
Adnams PLC reported turnover of £64m in the year to December 2025. That was down 6.4% on £68m the year before.
It reported 566 employees. The year before it reported 569.
It filed a pre-tax loss of £0.7m for the year, against a pre-tax loss of £3m the year before.
Staff costs came to £16m. That is an average of £28,000 a head. It ended the year with £0.3m at the bank and net assets of £19m.
| Measure | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £64m | £68m |
| Pre-tax profit | -£0.7m (filed) | -£3m (filed) |
| Employees | 566 | 569 |
| Staff costs | £16m | £16m |
| Average staff cost per head | £28,000 | £27,000 |
| Bank and cash | £0.3m | £0.3m |
| Net assets | £19m | £20m |
| Interest paid | £1.3m | |
| Directors' pay | £0.7m |
Read the accounts to December 2025 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets
Are there any charges against Adnams?
Adnams PLC has registered 15 charges at Companies House, of which 6 are still outstanding. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
All 6 outstanding charges
| Charge holder | Created |
|---|---|
| Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company Limited | 7 July 2026 |
| Barclays Bank PLC | 22 June 2026 |
| Carlsberg Marston's Brewing Company Limited | 2 September 2024 |
| Bridget Fiona Mcintryre, Sadie Jane Lofthouse, Glenys Burwood, Olivia Christou, Alexandra Bianca Hemen and Any Other Person or Persons Who is or are for the Time Being a Trustee of the Adnams Pension Fund | 21 February 2023 |
| Barclays Bank PLC | 21 March 2022 |
| Barclays Bank PLC | 21 March 2009 |
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
How Adnams compares
Of the 6 family brewers, Adnams is 4th on turnover, 6th on profit margin and 6th on growth. Harvey's keeps the most of every £100 of sales: £14.86.
| Rank | Family brewers | Turnover | Profit per £100 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | St Austell | £234m | £1.39 |
| 4th | Adnams | £64m | −£1.17 |
| + 4 more family brewers ranked |
Ranked by turnover. Profit per £100 is pre-tax profit for every £100 of turnover, shown only where the profit is filed.
Adnams files as Adnams PLC, with turnover of £64m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Adnams
What does Adnams do?
Adnams is a brewer and distiller in Southwold, Suffolk, best known for Ghost Ship pale ale and its Copper House gin. It brews and distils in Southwold and sells its drinks wholesale to pubs and supermarkets. It also runs its own pubs and hotels, and Adnams shops selling beer, wine, spirits and kitchenware. Adnams is a public limited company whose shares are not listed on a stock exchange.
How does Adnams compare with its rivals?
By turnover, Adnams is 4th of the 6 companies in our battle of the family brewers, behind St Austell. The battle ranks them on turnover, pre-tax profit, margin, growth and net assets. The battle of the family brewers →
Who owns Adnams?
Adnams PLC has no person with significant control recorded at Companies House.
How much does Adnams make?
Adnams PLC reported turnover of £64m in the year to December 2025. It filed a pre-tax loss of £0.7m.
How many people work at Adnams?
Adnams PLC reported 566 employees in the year to December 2025.
Who runs Adnams?
The Companies House register lists 6 current officers for Adnams PLC. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from Adnams PLC's filings at Companies House, company number 00031114, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are single company accounts: they cover this company alone, not any wider group.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Adnams: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 6 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/adnams/. Figures from Companies House filings for ADNAMS PLC (00031114).
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