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UK expansion brewing at Innis & Gunn after large scale sales team investment

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The brewer also last week opened the latest and biggest so far of its Beer Kitchen gastro pubs.
The brewer also last week opened the latest and biggest so far of its Beer Kitchen gastropubs in Glasgow’s Aston Lane.

With over 50 per cent sales growth, an injection of equity investment and a stated objective of doubling turnover by 2020, Edinburgh-based craft brewer Innis & Gunn has announced a raft of senior appointments that has doubled the size of its UK sales team.

In the last 18 months, the independent firm has sold over 40 million bottles of beer globally, raised £2.5 million in equity crowdfunding, purchased 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.

The brewer’s lager has also strengthened its position as one of Scotland’s best selling lagers, with a volume growth of +210 per cent in the off-trade and +40 per cent in the on-trade.

The business also says it intends to double its turnover to £25 million over the next three years and triple beer production in the next two years to 30,000hl at its own brewery.

To capitalise on this remarkable growth, Innis & Gunn has made the following appointments to its UK sales team:

Sales Team Appointments

  • The Brewer has brought in David Knowles as Head of Sales Off-Trade, bringing over 12 years experience in FMCG brands in the convenience, cash and carry and multi-grocer channels.

  • David will lead the team in accelerating the UK-wide growth of the Innis & Gunn portfolio in the off-trade, recently adding Gunnpowder IPA and the Brewer’s first zero alcohol beer, Innis & None, to the core range of Original, Rum Finish, Lager and Session IPA.

  • Over on the on-trade, the Brewer has appointed Adam Walsh as National Account Manager.

  • Adam will be building on the growing thirst for quality craft beers in the trade to expand the brand further into England and Wales, building on Innis & Gunn’s established on-trade presence in Scotland.

  • Adam joins from Marston’s where he managed key accounts for 7 years.

    • Senior Promotions

    • In addition to these new appointments, Innis & Gunn has also made several senior promotions, including Jeremy Houston to Head of Sales (On-trade, Scotland).

    • Starting with Innis & Gunn six years ago, Jeremy was at the forefront of growing the Brewer’s flagship Original Oak-Aged Beer in the on-trade.

    • Heading up the field sales team in Scotland, Jeremy will ensure there is focus on the fast growing Innis & Gunn Scotland on-trade business, now with the exceptional craft range from Inveralmond Brewery offered as part of the total portfolio.

    • In England, Cameron Mackenzie-Wilde is now National Account Manager covering the on-trade in the South of England, and will be joined this month by a new Field Sales Executive to cover on-trade Central London.

    • Supporting the sales team will be a new Telesales, Customer Service and Logistics team, based at the Innis & Gunn HQ in Edinburgh.

      • Crawford Sinclair, Innis & Gunn’s director of sales, said: “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. 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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