Supermarket adds ales from nine Scottish brewery independents
THE team that helped drive an £850,000 supermarket deal for some of Scotland’s craft breweries is planning to roll out its business model across the UK.
Last month, supermarket giant Asda announced a deal with the Craft Beer Clan of Scotland, a collaborative trade and export body that represents 25 craft breweries.
Asda will stock 18 lines from nine breweries under the Craft Beer Clan banner. Including other Asda listings for Scottish craft beer firms the breweries in the supermarket now include: Deeside Brewery in Banchory; Eden Mill Brewery, based on the outskirts of St Andrews; Jaw Brew, the independent, Glasgow-based brewery; Knops Brewery in Edinburgh; Lerwick Brewery in Shetland; Stewart Brewing in Edinburgh; Loch Lomond Brewing; Wooha Brewing, based in Nairn; West Brewery, the Glasgow brewer that brews to the Reinheitsgebot German Purity Law of 1516; Isle of Skye brewery; Isle of Arran brewery; Loch Ness Brewery; and Kelburn Brewery from East Renfrewshire.
The deal was managed by the business consultancies Ross & Brown and 121 Business Solutions, who approached the Craft Beer Clan of Scotland.
Retail experts Simon Ross and Craig Brown, alongside Scott MacDonald of 121 Business Solutions, figured that the Craft Beer Clan’s close contacts with Scottish brewers meant they could offer significant savings and overcome challenges that small producers can face when working with major retailers.
Craig Brown, managing director of Ross & Brown, said: “What is acceptable when delivering to an independent retailer is a world away from dealing with the major multiples. From having images available online for home shopping to the complexities of supply chain and order fulfilment, it can be difficult for a small, individual producer to deal with multiple retailers and their requirements.”
Scott MacDonald, director of 121 Business Solutions said: “It’s efficient for everyone in terms of cost, time and physical resources.
Chris Miller, director of the Craft Beer Clan of Scotland, said: “To bring so many new brand listings to the retail environment across Scotland has been a great opportunity for the Craft Beer Clan as we continue to build on Scotland’s reputation as a world-class producer of drink.”
