On 8 October 2026, Pivovary Staropramen announced that the Ostravar brewery in Ostrava will gradually end production in 2027 and that its brands will be brewed in Smíchov, Prague.
On 8 October 2026, Pivovary Staropramen announced through its spokeswoman Kateřina Pavlíková that the Ostravar brewery in Ostrava will gradually end production next year. The brewery's key brands are to continue to be brewed in Smíchov, Prague. According to the company, the end of production will affect about 120 employees.
The company justified the decision by the long-term development of the beer market, falling beer consumption, rising production and operating costs, for example for packaging, energy and transport, and the need to use production capacity more efficiently across its network of breweries. Operations in Ostrava are to be wound down in several stages so that employees and individual teams can prepare for the changes.
Martin Čermák, manager for Czechia and Slovakia, called the decision one of the hardest in recent years. The company has prepared a support programme for the affected employees and wants to cooperate with the regional branch of the labour office. The quality of the beer in Prague is to be ensured by the former head brewer of Ostravar. Warehousing and distribution capacities and the sales team are to remain in the Moravian-Silesian Region. According to human resources director Lenka Adamcová, the trade unions have been informed of the gradual wind-down of production.
Ostravar was founded in 1897 and is among the ten largest breweries in Czechia. Most of its output is drunk in the Ostrava, Karviná, Opava and Nový Jičín areas. Pivovary Staropramen belongs to the Molson Coors group and has long held second place on the Czech market, behind Plzeňský Prazdroj.
Related articles: Pivovary Staropramen
Chronology
- — Pivovary Staropramen announced that the Ostravar brewery in Ostrava will gradually end production next year and its brands will be brewed in Smíchov in Prague, which is to affect about 120 employees. ČTK / České noviny Deník: Moravskoslezský kraj
Sources
- ČTK / České noviny — 8 October 2026
- Deník: Moravskoslezský kraj — 8 October 2026