Drinks company toasts deal
ALCOHOLIC drinks manufacturer, distributor and brand owner Global Brands has acquired premium drinks agency Inspirit Brands.
Global Brands, which already counts Goldschläger, Sobieski, Myers’s Rum and Ypióca Cachaça amongst its stable of spirits brands, will add Inspirit’s existing 14 style bar favourites such as Four Roses Bourbon and El Dorado Rum, to its range.
The deal signals another milestone in Chesterfield-based Global Brands’ move to extend its range of high-end products, while providing a new infrastructure to support the growth of Inspirit’s core brand portfolio and develop new product opportunities.
Tony Mair, former director at Diageo GB, will also join London-based Inspirit as chairman, bringing his years of experience and knowledge to help shape the overall growth strategy for the combined portfolio.
Derek Mackey, Global Brands’ managing director, said: “This is fantastic news for us. Global Brands has always been a fast-moving, entrepreneurial business, and we’ve come a long way since our inception.
“The premium spirits market is currently a challenging one, but as consumers are still willing to pay for quality, this deal puts Global Brands in a good position to capitalise as the market recovers.
“The acquisition of Inspirit Brands is the next step in the expansion of our drinks brands portfolio. We’ve set our sights high for the company and want to become the UK’s leading drinks brand development business, which we will achieve through innovation and acquisition in all drinks categories.”
Mr Mair added: “I’m thrilled to be joining Inspirit at such an exciting time. The deal gives us a real opportunity to build on the fantastic reputation the company already has, as well as providing the resources to grow our existing brands further.
“Additionally, it strengthens our position to expand the portfolio, which we plan to do through securing new license agreements and completing brand acquisitions.”
Global Brands manages a diverse range of brands across the wine, spirits, beer and soft drinks categories, including VK, Corky’s, Kick Energy and Adoro Wine from South Africa.
