This follows Beam Suntory’s acquisition of a 50% stake in ABV Brands in 2015 and the final takeover was completed on 18th April with immediate effect.
As a result of this acquisition, Beam Suntory assumes full ownership of its route-to-market in South Africa, and the existing ABV Brands team will be integrated into Beam Suntory.
Mark Pockele, formerly Beam Suntory’s commercial director for MEA, will assume the role of MD following the departure of ABV Brands’ co-founder and current MD, Ross Calow.
Dan Hawkins will remain as ABV Brands’ commercial director along with the existing management team. There are currently no planned changes to ABV Brands’ portfolio of products.
ABV Brands was founded in 2010 and has been Beam Suntory’s distribution partner in South Africa from the beginning. Since becoming a Beam Suntory joint venture in 2015, ABV Brands has grown the Beam Suntory portfolio by more than 50%, driven largely by Courvoisier Cognac, which has seen triple-digit growth.
Dan Hawkins, ABV brands commercial director, added: “We are confident that combining our local expertise with Beam Suntory’s global scale and capabilities will be a winning combination, empowering us to take the business to the next level in South Africa."
