Innis & Gunn Acquired by C&C Group
The owner of Tennent's Lager, C&C Group, has purchased Scottish craft beer company Innis & Gunn out of administration in a £4.5 million deal. The acquisition includes the rights to the Innis & Gunn name and intellectual property.
Despite the purchase, redundancies are anticipated at Innis & Gunn, which employs approximately 100 staff across its pubs in Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dundee, as well as its brewery located in Perth.
Background and Founder Statement
Innis & Gunn was established in 2003 in Edinburgh by Dougal Gunn Sharp. Reflecting on the situation, Sharp expressed his regret over the impact on employees and shareholders.
"I am deeply sorry to everyone affected - particularly my colleagues who have lost their jobs and the shareholders who believed in what we were building," he said, describing the day as "very difficult."
"I'm immensely proud of everything our team achieved together, creating a distinctive Scottish beer brand enjoyed by customers at home and around the world."
"While this outcome is not what any of us hoped for, I'm glad the brand has found a home with C&C Group. We've worked closely with the team for many years and they have the scale, distribution and experience to take Innis & Gunn forward."
Recent Industry Context
The acquisition follows shortly after another significant transaction in the Scottish craft beer sector. Aberdeenshire-based BrewDog was sold to US firm Tilray in a £33 million deal. BrewDog co-founder James Watt issued an apology to staff and investors after hundreds of jobs were lost and many investors in its "Equity for Punks" scheme faced losses.
Company Growth and Partnerships
Innis & Gunn has also utilized a crowdfunding model, which enabled it to purchase the Inveralmond Brewery in Perth in 2016, raising over £3 million. In 2018, the company announced plans to construct a new brewery in Edinburgh.
Previously, Innis & Gunn used Tennent's Wellpark Brewery under a contract-brewing agreement and sold an 8% stake of the company to C&C Group in 2021.
