Brewing giant Marston's, which has its Burton brewery in Shobnall Road, has been granted permission to shop around to find the best water supplier – becoming only the third English company to be able to do so.
Marston's, which as well as its brewing arm, has around 1,600 pubs, bars and lodges under its umbrella in the UK, will now be able to supply its own water and wastewater services after being granted a 'self-supply' licence by economic regulator, Ofwat.
A new open water market opened in April 2017, allowing companies with a self-supply licence to choose their own water retail service.
This allows businesses, public bodies and charities the freedom to shop around and pick the best retailer for them, rather than having to use their local water supplier.
Also, Marston's will now have the option of providing its own water services, such as meter readings, at the company's may pubs and bars across the country.
Andy Kershaw, the head of group facilities at Marston's said: "This is a great opportunity for Marston's, enabling us to drive efficiency and cost while working towards reducing consumption through our managed sites and breweries.
"It also gives us the platform to trial innovation and become an active partner in the market."
Emma Kelso, the senior director for customers and casework at Ofwat, which issued the self-supply licences, said: "Since the business retail water market opened in April, we have already seen many businesses across England taking advantage of it by shopping around for a better deal or renegotiating contracts with their existing supplier.
"Marston's PLC is a large, multi-site business, so opting to become a self-supplier could offer them benefits, including having more control over the service they get and reducing administration costs."
