IAN MCCONNELL

SIMPSONS Malt has flagged rising demand from the global brewing industry and continuing opportunities in distilling, while reporting a rise in turnover.

The family-owned business, based in Berwick-upon-Tweed, increased turnover to £145.6 million last year from £143.8m in 2016. It cited rises in sales volumes across its key markets of brewing and distilling. It flagged a 21 per cent rise in export sales.

Pre-tax profits dipped to £8.2m in 2017, from £9.3m, with Simpsons Malt citing “raw material costs and inflationary pressure on operating expenditure”.