Wales' largest cask ale producer, SA Brain have sold their free trade business to multi-national brewer Heineken, via their British subsidiary Scottish & Newcastle. The deal covers the independent free trade and SA Brain's own retail business and will allow S & N to market Brains ales as well as seeing Heineken products in Brains own estate of 260 pubs.
S & N will take on responsibility for the sales, distribution and technical support of Brain's ale portfolio in the free trade, alongside the Heineken owned brands which include Bulmers and Kronenbourg.
Brain's beers will be available more widely in Wales via S & N deals with pub companies such as Scottish & Newcastle Enterprises. An undisclosed sum has been paid by S & N for the free trade business.
From May, 34 staff of SA Brain will transfer to S & N, joining the 60,000 worldwide staff of Heineken.
Heineken was established in by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam when he purchased the Haystack Brewery in 1864. Heineken operates in more than 170 countries worldwide and owns more than 120 breweries in at least 65 different countries. Is Wales the next country on their road to global domination of the beer market? Could this be the first part of a takeover of Wales' largest independent brewery?
For the full SA Brain press release click here
And The Publican have their take on the story as well as the Morning Advertiser and Media Wales.
1 comment:
Brakspear's first step towards self distruction was the sale of its off-trade sales and delivery operations to Scot-Co... sound familiar?
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