Dane takes over helm at Cains
The Danish owner of Liverpool brewer Cains has brought in a new boss to replace outgoing managing director Steve Holt .
Danish Brewery Group, which bought the former Higson's brewery 10 years ago, has appointed Ole Timm (pictured on right with Steve Holt), who specialised in developing distribution of fast-moving consumer goods in Denmark.
Mr Holt, who was the driving force behind the revival of Cains' beers and pubs, announced his resignation as managing director after 11 years.
"Although I believe there is still considerable growth potential for the Cains brand, I feel that after 10 years here it is time to take on a new challenge," Mr Holt said.
He was part of the team that took over the closed brewery in Stanhope Street in 1990 and turned it into a business with a turnover of £35m a year.
It now has a pub estate of 10 alehouses, three of which have won awards from the Campaign for Real Ale for refurbishment. It has a number of pub concepts, including Doctor Duncan's in St John's Place, Liverpool.
Mr Holt has agreed to be available to make sure there is a smooth handover of responsibilities.
Danish-born Mr Timm has spent more than 20 years helping to develop distribution and brands in Scandinavia, from books and weekly magazines to cinemas, film and video. After floating a venture capital firm on the stock market, he has been working as a consultant for the Danish Brewery Group.
Mr Timm said: "I am looking forward to working with a brand with great potential, rich with history and tradition. We are trying to widen the distribution of Cains' beers in the Merseyside area by enlarging the sales force and developing a local marketing campaign.
"Steve Holt's passion for the Cains brand is reflected in the company, and I look forward to working alongside this hardworking and dedicated team.
"I am new to this industry, but I am in a position to take a fresh look with a background in the distribution of fast-moving consumer goods."
With an annual output of 250,000 barrels, Cains has gained a national presence for its beers, which include Cains Dark Mild, Cains FA and Cains Traditional Bitter. It also imports beers, mainly from other parts of the Danish Brewery Group. These include Faxe Premium and Ceres Red Erik.
The brewery, which dates back to about 1850, was bought by Robert Cain in 1858, Daniel Higson in 1923 and then by Boddingtons in 1985. It was closed when Whitbread took over Boddingtons in 1990, but Mr Holt and his team stepped in to reopen it as GB Breweries a few months later.
He remained at the helm in 1991 when it reverted to the Cains name and became a subsidiary of the Danish Brewery Group, which also owns Denmark's Faxe, Albani, Ceres and Thor breweries as well as Vilniaus Tauras in Lithuania.
