Innis & Gunn reveal rapid expansion plans

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 15 May, 2017

Independent Scottish craft brewer Innis & Gunn has announced a roster of new appointments as it plans to expand its reach into the rest of the UK and to new international markets.

The brewer said it has had a ‘transformational’ 18 months, which saw the purchase of Inveralmond Brewery - now The Innis & Gunn Brewery – in Perth, opened three Beer Kitchens in Scotland and signed a distribution deal for China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Now, it has its sights set on pushing into the England and Wales, keen to expand its reach beyond Scotland where it is currently the best selling craft lager.

Helping them achieve this will be David Knowles, new head of sales for the off-trade.

Knowles has over 12 years’ experience in FMCG brands in the convenience, cash and carry and multi-grocer channels and will help to accelerate the UK-wide growth of the Innis & Gunn portfolio in the off-trade.

Doing the same for the on-trade is Adam Walsh who joins as national account manager for the on-trade following seven years with Marston’s.

Innis & Gunn’s Lager is currently the best selling craft lager in Scotland with a volume growth of +210% in the off-trade and +40% in the on-trade over the past year.

It now how its sights set on penetrating England and Wales and doubling its overall turnover to £25 million over the next three years.

As part of their sales team ramp-up, the brewer has also made a number of promotions in its senior leadership team.

Jeremy Houston moves into the role of head of sales for the on-trade in Scotland and Cameron Mackenzie-Wilde becomes national account manager for the on-trade in the South of England.

“We had an incredibly exciting, and undoubtedly transformational 2016 in the business, and our investment in our sales team is a significant step to build on this momentum in the trade and give our customers the support they need to grow their business and ours,” Crawford Sinclair, Innis & Gunn’s director of sales, said.

“David and Adam bring a wealth of experience and enthusiasm for the exciting opportunities in the craft beer category, and our new structure with Jeremy heading up the on-trade in Scotland ensures we are in an excellent position to drive our business forward across the UK market.”

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