In addition, W&Y has also bought the remaining 17% of the Courage beer brands from Heineken it did not own, following a deal in January 2007.
The acquisition means Wells & Young’s is now the third top premium ale brewer in the UK.
McEwan’s draught ales will continue to be brewed at the Caledonian brewery in Edinburgh.
“This is a significant and major acquisition, and secures the future for the much loved McEwan’s and Younger’s brands,” said Nigel McNally, managing director of Wells and Young’s.
“We will invest and nurture these fantastic Scottish ale brands, and give them a new lease of life, whilst always putting their Scottish heritage first. That’s why we will continue to brew McEwan’s draught ales in Scotland, establish an office in Edinburgh and invest heavily in marketing.
“The McEwan’s and Younger’s beers are a great fit with our brewery and with our expertise in marketing through the line coupled with our success in building brands, we are excited about reigniting these brands in Scotland and across the UK.
“Our recent success with the Bombardier ‘Bang On!’ campaign demonstrates our brand investment and we adopt a similar approach to these fantastic Scottish brands to generate greater consumer interest.”
Good fit
Stefan Orlowski, managing director for Heineken UK, added “We are delighted to have reached this agreement with Wells and Young’s who are a long term a valued partner. They have already demonstrated that they can bring their expertise and investment to brands such as Courage, and we know that the McEwan’s and Younger’s ales will complement their portfolio perfectly.
“I am also pleased to say that we have agreed that we will retain exclusive supply of these brands into our independent free trade accounts, in addition to our S&NPC estate. These customers will be able to continue buying McEwan’s and Younger’s directly from us.”
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