Row brews over football club's drinks deal

A bitter row has broken out between a local brewery and a Football League club after an agreement to supply alcohol was ended.

Bosses at Maxim Brewery in Houghton-le-Spring claim Sunderland AFC has "gone back on its word" over a deal at the Stadium of Light.

Mark Anderson, who runs the brewery, believed he had a five-year partnership with the club beginning in 2021.

However, the club said its only "legal agreement" was with the Molson Coors Beverage Company and it had tried unsuccessfully to "reach a positive outcome for all parties".

Mr Anderson was part of a group which started Maxim after the closure of the original Vaux Brewery in Sunderland in 1999.

It acquired the rights to continue brewing some of its beers, including Samson, and introduced the drink at the stadium as part of a "five-year" deal announced by the club three years ago.

However, the brewery has now been replaced by another firm, based in Monkwearmouth, which acquired the rights to the Vaux name under which it is trading.

Mr Anderson said he was told of the decision via an email from the club which provided no specific reasons other than a "change of direction".

"They said they were looking to take Samson out," he told the BBC. "We feel as though we have been dumped.

"It's very sad, and painful financially. [The decision] doesn’t seem to make financial sense, or sense to the fans."

In recent weeks, Mr Anderson says the firm has had to rip out thousands of pounds worth of equipment it had invested in to fulfil the deal to supply beer.

"We had seven fonts worth over £2,000, as well as the equipment in the cellars.

"For a small business, you really need a commitment from the likes of a club to keep your beer in for five years.

"It’s got to recover that cost... now it's dead money."

Mr Anderson claimed the club later offered the opportunity to stay for a limited number of matches, but he said this was not viable as the equipment had already been removed.

"We don’t want to get into a legal argument, but we’ve gone out of our way to make sure the club is supported.

"[It's] disappointing for us to get to this stage, but we want to make sure the fans know we’re not to blame."

A club spokesperson said its only legal agreement for the sale of all beer products at the stadium was with Molson Coors, which is its "exclusive pouring rights partner".

They said the club had introduced "several new products to further enhance" its offering ahead of the new season, which would have "resulted in changes to the provision of Maxim Brewery's Samson Smooth".

The club said it had been "engaging with Maxim Brewery throughout the week in an attempt to reach a positive outcome for all parties".

This included retaining Maxim's drinks for the upcoming season, but the brewery "declined all future opportunities and opted to remove its products entirely".

Meanwhile, managing director of Vaux Steven Smith said the club had called his firm "out of the blue" and it was a "nice surprise" to supply alcohol at the stadium.

He said: "We’ve had an incredibly warm reception from the community since we started the business and this feels like a big step forward for us and our small team."

A spokesperson for Molson Coors Beverage Company said: "Our partnership agreement is with Sunderland AFC only.

"While we support the club’s commitment to ensuring a locally brewed beer is on the bar alongside our own brands, SAFC determine who that local brewer is and we have no involvement in that decision.”

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