Global Brands unveils five-year plan with new leadership

Drinks supplier Global Brands has unveiled its five-year plan following adjustments in its senior leadership team.

The Chesterfield-based firm’s goal is to increase turnover by 50% to more than £135m and break into 100 international markets by 2027. Its portfolio of alcoholic and non-alcoholic brands include VK, Hooch, and Franklin & Sons are currently in 67 countries around the world.

Julian Atkins has become managing director, with Mark James stepping down.

Additional senior appointments include Matt Bulcroft’s promotion from on-trade sales director to marketing director on the main board, Mike Smith’s return to the company as UK sales director, and Rebecca Jarvis-Hook’s assumption of the newly established role of head of people & HR.

Atkins told TheBusinessDesk.com: “We plan to grow by introducing new brands, attracting new customers, and expanding into new markets, both in the UK and internationally.

“We’re always keeping an eye on the latest trends so we can stay ahead of the game. This means that by 2027, our portfolio will look very different from what it does now.

“In 2013, our turnover stood at £33m, whereas in our most recent report, we achieved a turnover of £92m, demonstrating our capability to achieve such growth.”

Unsurprisingly for a company called Global Brands, international markets are central to its ambitions.

“We have identified 15 key countries to start with, where we are directing our focus, each supported by a comprehensive market strategy,” he said.

“While we maintain transactional relationships with other nations, we particularly want to focus on Canada, while already have established ties with India and China.

“Moreover, we’ve recently teamed up with a new partner in the US, Cascadia Beverages, and we’re excited about the growth potential, especially for Franklin and Sons.”

More recently, Atkins has spearheaded the introduction of the ‘be.’ cocktail range, featuring a variety of classic cocktail flavours packaged in 200ml cans.

He continued: “As for our ‘be’ range of cocktails, we noticed a gap in the market. We saw that most cocktails are either around 4-5% alcohol or much stronger, at 10-14%. We found there wasn’t much available at the 8% level. So, we launched a new cocktail in five flavours: passion fruit martini, strawberry daiquiri, pina colada, margarita, and Paloma, all sitting at 8% ABV.”