Firm announces sale of its Romanian business

Liverpool based Halewood Wines & Spirits has announced it is to sell its Romanian wine business.

The Huyton company has sold the subsidiary so it can focus on its artisanal spirits and craft beer portfolio.

Halewood has accepted an offer, subject to Romanian Competition Council approval, from The Alexandrion Holdings, the largest alcoholic drinks producer in Romania.

Following the transaction, which is likely to complete during the next three months, AHL has agreed to invest in the Romanian wine business.

Halewood Romania will continue to successfully produce and distribute other parts of the Halewood Wines & Spirits’ portfolio, including spirits and RTDs.

Stewart Hainsworth, CEO, Halewood Wines & Spirits said: “Our Romanian business has been operational since 1987 and has developed a high-quality portfolio of award winning wines.

“Romania wine sales are modest in the UK and we received an acceptable offer from AHL, who are ideally placed to further develop the business.

“The move also enables us to continue focusing on developing our craft breweries and distilleries.”

In terms of volume Halewood Romania has become the seventh largest producer in the Romanian domestic market and second in terms of wine exports.

This latest strategic move for the Halewood business follows recent investments in craft and artisanal breweries and distilleries including: The City of London Distillery; Liverpool Gin, which involved significant investment in a new state-of-the-art distillery at Halewood’s site in Merseyside; West Cork Distillers, producers of The Pogues Irish Whiskey; the build of Aber Falls, a new organic whisky distillery in North Wales and the acquisition of Cumbria’s Hawkshead Brewery.