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Hawthorn Brewing Co

OVERALL

Owned
USA
Rating
Criticisms

Craft beer makers

Founded in 2008 as the backyard idea of 3 mates with a long history of home brewing. Their beers are brewed under contract. Acquired by Dixon Hospitality (renamed Australian Venue Co) in 2017.

Company Ownership

Hawthorn Brewing Company Pty Ltd   AUS     website   email      
  The Australian Venue Company   
   owns 100% of Hawthorn Brewing Company Pty Ltd  
AUS     website   email   facebook   

Pub group

Created in 2017 when KKR bought an 80 per cent stake in Bruce Dixon's pub group for $190 million. Since then KKR has made a number of bolt-on acquisitions, including Coles' Spirit Hotels business, which controls about 90 pubs, mainly in Queensland. Coles still operates the liquor stores, but has left the pokies business.

      Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co LP   
       owns 80% of The Australian Venue Company  
USA     website         twitter

Private equity firm

One of the world's largest private equity firms. Listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010. Acquired Unilever's spreads business in 2017 for 6.83bn euros. Acquired Campbell Soup Co's international operations (including Arnott's) in 2019.

> About the Ratings

Company Assessment

PRAISE CRITICISM INFORMATION
Hawthorn Brewing Company Pty Ltd
No assessment data currently available for Hawthorn Brewing Company Pty Ltd
The Australian Venue Company
Social Gaming
This company owns over 150 venues across Australia, many of which offer gambling services including poker machines.
Source: company webiste (2020)
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co LP
Social 100% on Corporate Equality Index
This company is listed as having best practice on a report card on lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender equality in corporate America.
Source: Human Rights Campaign (2020)
Social Pillaging American retail
In 2005, Toys "R" Us was purchased in a US$6.6 billion leveraged buyout by private equity firms Bain Capital, KKR, and Vornado Realty Trust. While Toys "R" Us' revenues remained steady over the next 13 years - US$11.1 billion in sales in 2017 - the retailer was saddled with debt it couldn't repay. By 2007, 97% of the company's operating income was consumed by interest, which left the company unable to upgrade technology or evolve its business model. The heavy debt load eventually led Toy "R" Us to file for bankruptcy in 2018. The company liquidated in June of 2018 and closed their remaining 800 stores. Over 33,000 employees of the company lost their jobs and their severance payments in bankruptcy court. The PE companies controlling the Toys "R" Us bankruptcy refused buyers that would have saved thousands of jobs and instead chose liquidation to maximize the financial extraction. The private equity firms that owned Toys "R" Us collected more than $470 million in fees and interest from the retailer over the ownership period, while a total of 64,000 jobs were lost.
Source: United 4 Respect (2019)
Business Ethics 10.0% in Newsweek Green Rankings 2016
This company received a score of 10/100 in the Newsweek Green Rankings 2016, which ranks the world's largest publicly traded companies on eight indicators covering energy, greenhouse gases, water, waste, fines and penalties, linking executive pay to sustainability targets, board-level committee oversight of environmental issues and third-party audits. Ranking methodology by Corporate Knights and HIP Investor.
Source: Newsweek (2016)
Business Ethics Collusion lawsuit
In 2014, this company, together with other private equity firms Blackstone and TPG, agreed to pay US$325m to settle a lawsuit that accused seven private equity groups of conspiring to fix the prices of some of the world's biggest leveraged buyouts.
Source: Financial Times (2014)
Business Ethics Breach of fiduciary duty
On 29 June 2015 the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission charged this company with misallocating more than US$17m in 'broken deal' expenses to its flagship private equity funds in breach of its fiduciary duty. KKR agreed to pay nearly US$30m to settle the charges, including a penalty of US$10m.
Source: US SEC (2015)
Business Ethics 40% at JUST Capital
JUST Capital polls Americans every year to identify the issues that matter most in defining just business behaviour. For their 2021 rankings the public identified 19 issues, which are organised under the headings Workers, Communities, Customers, Shareholders and Environment. JUST Capital then define metrics that map to those issues and track and analyse the largest, publicly traded U.S. companies. This analysis powers their rankings, in which this company ranked 758th of 928 companies, and 31th of 35 Capital Markets companies.
Source: JUST Capital (2020)
Social Sweatshops in China
This investigative report by China Labour Watch reveals how KKR turns a blind eye to the human impact of the massive production outsourced by Dollar General and other companies in its portfolio. CLW Executive Director Li Qiang states that DG has 'the worst labor performance in China of all major US retailers'. [Listed under Information due to age of report]
Source: China Labour Watch (2009)
Business Ethics ESG claims
This company has environmental, social and governance (ESG) claims on its website.
Source: company website (2016)
Social Modern Slavery statement
California, the UK and Australia have all enacted legislation requiring companies operating within their borders to disclose their efforts to eradicate modern slavery from their operations and supply chains. Follow the link to see this company's disclosure statement.
Source: Modern Slavery Registry (2016)

> About the Icons

Company Details

Type Private company
Aus Manufacturing Yes

Contact Details

Address PO Box 2037, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
Phone 1300 422 233
Email contact@hawthornbrewing.com.au
Website www.hawthornbrewing.com.au

Products / Brands

Hawthorn Brewing Co
Hawthorn Beer


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