DUNBAR-BASED Belhaven Brewery hopes to dramatically increase its distribution activities in North-east Scotland, with a major expansion in the range of products available to its two managed pubs and 40 or so free trade customers in the area.
The increased activity will follow yesterday's official opening of Belhaven's #300,000 distribution depot in Aberdeen. It represents the first of what is expected to be a #5m investment in the area over the next five years.
The new operation, Belhaven North, will offer the full range of some 200 products supplied by Belhaven's distribution operation. When the company was distributing through a wholesaler, it was limited to about 10 brews from its own line of beers.
Stuart Ross, managing director, said Belhaven was also on the lookout for further opportunities to buy pubs in Aberdeen. The company spent a little more than #1m last year securing its first two pubs in the city, the Old Blackfriars and the Marischal Bar.
Ross emphasised the company's commitment to personal service. He believes that this will have strong appeal among publicans in the North-east, who recently saw the withdrawal
of Carlsberg-Tetley's service engineers.
The move was part of the Carlsberg-Tetley rationalisation programme implemented after the Government blocked its merger with Bass earlier this year. Carlsberg-Tetley will also close its Alloa brewery, promoting Belhaven to the position of Scotland's third-largest brewer.
''Generally speaking, there is a trend throughout the industry to centralise and outsource distribution activities in order to save money,'' Ross said. ''Belhaven is moving to localise distribution, and we want to use our own people.''
Belhaven North will be managed by Glen Melvin, who is an Aberdonian.
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