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Diageo signs distribution agreements with Marblehead and Catalyst Brands

Published:  26 January, 2015

Diageo has signed two separate agreements with spirits brand distributor Marblehead and brand agency, Catalyst Brands, to distribute five of its smaller brands throughout Great Britain.

Diageo has signed two separate agreements with spirits brand distributor Marblehead and brand agency, Catalyst Brands, to distribute five of its smaller brands throughout Great Britain.

Marblehead will distribute Amer Picon and Crown Royal, whilst Matthew Clark-owned Catalyst Brands will distribute Jeremiah Weed Brews, J&B Rare and three variants of Pampero rum (Blanco, Especial and Aniversario). Both agreements will take effect from March 1, 2015 and cover both the on and off-trade.

The brands will remain under Diageo ownership, but all responsibility for distribution, sales, marketing and promotion will rest with the agencies.

Jeremiah Weed Cider Brews comes two options - the Sour Mash Brew and Root Brew. J&B Rare is a blend of 42 Scottish malt and grain whiskies, while Pampero is a Venezuelan rum. All three of these brands are currently already on sale in GB, whilst Amer Picon (an orange flavoured Bitters often served as an aperitif) and Crown Royal (a blended Canadian whiskey) are both part of Diageo's global portfolio but will be new to the GB market.

Andrew Cowan, country director for Diageo Great Britain, said: "We are confident that we have chosen two great partners in Marblehead and Catalyst Brands.  Catalyst have  proven brand-building expertise and have delivered strong results in the past two years. Having worked with Marblehead on the distribution of Ypióca in the UK, we believe this is a successful model for growing some of our smaller, and more specialist, brands in this marketplace."  

Emma Wykes, managing director of Marblehead, said: "After our success with the UK launch of Ypióca and the ongoing building of that brand, we are delighted to now have the opportunity to do something exciting with the both Amer Picon and Crown Royal in the UK market. We feel confident, with our breadth of expertise, that much success lies ahead for both of these brands."

Gary Squire, managing director of Catalyst Brands, says: "We are delighted to be working in partnership with Diageo on these venture brands, and see this as the start of a long-term collaboration. Our track record of growing brands in both the on and off-trade gives us confidence that we can accelerate the performance of J&B Rare, Pampero rums and Jeremiah Weed Cider Brews in the UK market."

Other key Diageo brands include Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Marblehead Brand Development was bought by  international spirits group Quintessential Brands in 2013.

Catalyst Brands was founded in June 2012 as a trading division of Matthew Clark.

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