Stock Spirits Group has bolstered its foothold in the UK with the acquisition of The Drinks Company, a local independent spirits importer and distributor.
Financial terms of the transaction are undisclosed.
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The deal includes all employees, premises, and contracts of The Drinks Company, Stock Spirits said. It also brings Sierra Tequila’s UK distribution under the group’s direct control.
Stock Spirits Group CEO Jean-Christophe Coutures described the purchase as a “strong strategic fit” and the “next logical step” in achieving its “ambition to build a broader European footprint”.
Pan-European Stock Spirits also manages its distribution in Poland, Czechia, Italy, France, Germany, Slovakia, Austria, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In a statement, the group said the purchase facilitates its goal to establish itself as a “leading” spirits player in Europe by 2027.
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By GlobalDataIt added The Drinks Company’s “well-established” trade connections and industry expertise provide it with an “established route-to-market” market entry pathway, enabling it to “enhance its ability to serve UK customers”.
Set up in 1996, The Drinks Company, operates across the UK, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the travel retail sector. Stock Spirits confirmed it will gain access to these markets and channels as a result of the acquisition.
The Drinks Company directors Bill Oddy and Denise McArdle said: “We have already worked together for several years and the full integration of the businesses is a natural progression that will surely benefit our customers, staff and consumers.”
Alongside the announcement, Stock Spirits also revealed its appointment of Rob Curteis as general manager of its UK operations.
Curteis, who has over 20 years of experience in the global spirits industry, has previously held senior roles at William Grant & Sons, Proximo UK, and Quintessential Brands.
He had been advising Stock Spirits on its UK strategy since 2024. The company said his appointment marks a “key step” in speeding up growth in a “priority market”.
Stock Spirits is kicking off its expansion plan in the UK with the launch of Sierra Tequila ready-to-drink (RTD) cocktails and Limoncè Aperitivo, with more investments planned for growing the team, brand-building, and “product innovations”, it said.
The Clan Cambell owner launched a range of RTD Margaritas under the Sierra Tequila brand earlier this week.
The two SKUs range are being launched in Germany this month. They will also head to the UK, Czechia, Slovakia, Croatia, Poland, and the Netherlands later this year, with a third SKU exclusively being sold to Czechia.
While Sierra’s previous owners Borco launched an RTD product for Sierra in 2018, this was a smaller production run in Switzerland which was discontinued in 2020, the company told Just Drinks. The latest launch marks Stock Spirits’ first multi-market entry with RTDs, it said.
The business added Sierra to its portfolio in 2023 following the snap up of Germany spirits producer Borco. That same year it also bought Clan Campbell whisky from Pernod Ricard.
Stock Spirits owns a broad portfolio of European spirits brands, including Amundsen and Keglevich vodkas and Fernet herbal bitters.
