Edrington and Beam Suntory announce equity swap for UK and Spanish businesses

12 May, 2021

Spirits giants Edrington and Beam Suntory have agreed to an equity swap of stakes in their jointly-owned distribution companies in Spain and the UK.

It will see Edrington take full ownership of Edrington-Beam Suntory UK, while Beam Suntory will assume full ownership of Maxxium Spain.

The new agreement will take effect from August 2 if it gains regulatory approval.

Both distribution companies will continue to distribute their current portfolios of Beam Suntory and Edrington brands, including The Macallan, The Famous Grouse, Auchentoshan, The Ardmore, Bowmore, Highland Park, Teacher’s, Laphroaig, Connemara, Jim Beam, Maker’s Mark, Suntory, Yamazaki, Haku, Roku, Courvoisier, Brugal and Sipsmith.

Edrington-Beam Suntory UK will be rebranded as Edrington UK Distribution Ltd, known as Edrington UK.

The firm’s 210 employees will work closely with their colleagues at Edrington’s global headquarters – also in Glasgow – to “accelerate Edrington’s ultra-premium strategy”, particularly in London, which is part of Edrington’s global key city strategy for The Macallan, Highland Park and Brugal.

Following completion of the deal, Edrington will employ over 1200 people in the UK, mainly in Scotland.

Both companies will also continue to maintain equal stakes in their remaining JV distribution business, Maxxium Russia.

Huw Pennell, Edrington’s regional managing director for Europe, said: “Edrington has a portfolio of ultra-premium brands, led by The Macallan, the world’s most valuable single malt Scotch whisky.

“As our business sharpens its focus on the rapidly growing opportunities for ultra-premium and prestige spirits, we are excited by the potential to work more closely with the talented Edrington-Beam Suntory UK team to accelerate this strategy while continuing to strengthen our presence of The Famous Grouse in our home market.

“Spain is a priority investment market for Edrington, and we are particularly pleased that this agreement will enable us to continue to work closely with the excellent Maxxium Spain team in Madrid to accelerate the growth of The Macallan in the key cities of Madrid and Barcelona and particularly Brugal rum in its No 1 international market.”

This will be the first time that Beam Suntory will have full ownership of its route to market in Spain, and it plans to invest in building brands such as Jim Beam and Roku gin.

For Beam Suntory, Spain is a strategic hub and the home of its international headquarters, with corporate offices in Madrid and Jerez. Beam Suntory’s Segovia distillery also produces renowned Spanish brands, Larios, Whisky DYC, and Anís Castellana.

Pryce Greenow, international president at Beam Suntory, said: “We’re looking forward to establishing our first route to market in Spain, and we will be proud to employ more than 600 people across the country as a combined business.

“We also have big ambitions for our portfolio of premium brands, which includes Jim Beam, Larios and DYC. We plan to invest in our people, capabilities and brands to achieve sustainable, long term growth in Spain. 

“The UK remains vitally important for Beam Suntory, and we look forward to continuing our close relationship with Edrington-Beam Suntory UK as our trusted distributor partner. The UK will always be a priority growth market for us, and London will continue to play a critical role as a global centre of luxury for our premium portfolio, including Maker’s Mark and Sipsmith.”





Digital Edition

Drinks International digital edition is available ahead of the printed magazine. Don’t miss out, make sure you subscribe today to access the digital edition and all archived editions of Drinks International as part of your subscription.

Comment

La'Mel Clarke

Service isn’t servitude: the skill of hosting

La’Mel Clarke, front of house at London’s Seed Library, looks at the forgotten art of hosting and why it deserves the same respect as bartending.

Instagram

Facebook