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Three drinks companies make the top UK 200 for international sales growth
Soaring international sales has prompted three UK drinks companies – BrewDog, Off-Piste Wines, and Broadland Drinks – to gain a place in the UK’s top 200 performing companies overseas.
Cult Scottish brewer BrewDog, and wine mporters, brand owners and producers, Off-Piste Wines and Broadland Drinks have been named as the top performing companies in the Fastrack International Track 200, complied by Fastrack in association with the Sunday Times.
BrewDog was the highest ranked drinks manufacturer on the list, making it into the top 50 in 47th place, after seeing an average international growth of 71.4% over the last two years. International sales reached £39.3 million at the end of December 2018, representing around a fifth (22.8%) of its £171.6 million total revenue. In November the international brewer and bar owner said it was planning to expand into India with funds raised from its latest bond offer, after finishing its Australian brewery.
The Aberdeenshire-based brewery, which employs nearly 1,250 people, was previously named as one of the ten potential ‘Disruptors to Watch’ in the Sunday Times Fastrack list in 2016.
Meanwhile Cheltenham-based Off-Piste Wines rose nearly thirty places since last year to 62nd place, after seeing average two year international growth of 64%, driven by rising demand in Canada, Russia and Ireland which boosted exports to £1.9m in 2018. As reported by the drinks business last month, 2018 saw the company’s international growth outpacing domestic growth sales, up 54% in the year to 31 January 2019 to £2.9million, compared to growth of 11.5% growth in the domestic market. In the last full financial year, the UK accounted for more than 92% of business although director Paul Letheren previously told db the company was keen to boost international sales from 7.5% to around 20% over the next few years, with plans to expand in America and Asia this year.
MD Andy Talbot today told the drinks business that the company would remain focussed on Europe and North America to drive its international growth. “Demand for canned wine is global and our market leading position in the UK with Most Wanted is creating interest in Asia. We have some exciting NPD for Prowein that we hope will open up new opportunities in international markets,”
Last month the company secured £8 million worth of investment to expand, after selling a minority stake in the business to investment firmThe Business Growth Fund (BFG).
Wine producer and importer Broadlands Drinks also made the list of the first time, at number 191, after posting an average international growth of over 30% in the last two years. International sales hit 4.6million, a growth of 43.9% in the year to March 2019, taking its international sales to around 6.5% of its total £70 million revenue. Growth was particularly strong in the US, the company said at the time. Last month the company announced it was changing its name from Broadland Wineries to Broadland Drinks in a move that would better reflect the changing nature of its business, as it announced a pipeline of new products and formats. The company employs around 160 people, based across the UK and USA.
The Sunday Times HSBC International Track 200 ranks Britain’s mid-market private companies with the fastest-growing international sales measured over their latest two years of available accounts.
Drinks companies that have the international fasttrack list in previous years include wine merchant Cult Wine, which was place 73rd in 2019 and 39th in 2018, and Hedonism Wine which was placed 165 last year. Tarquin’s Cornish Gin was also placed in the FastTrack 100.
Fine wine company Cult Wines also made the SME Export Track 100 in 2017 and 2016, with Halewood International being named on the Top Track 250 two years running. Bibendum PLB has clocked up five entries in the last decade, four in the Top Track 250 between 2010-2015 and one in the Profit Track 100 in 2013, seven years after being flagged as one to watch. Online retailer Naked Wines was in the Fast Track 100 in 2013 and 2014.