Halewood Wines & Spirits reports “exceptional” growth; travel retail plays key role

Halewood Wines & Spirits has highlighted travel retail as a key factor in what it called an “exceptional” performance in the year ending 30 June 2018. Operating profit growth leapt by 319% to £13.4 million, it said, while group turnover grew by 22%, though the family-owned company did not reveal figures for the latter.

UK-based Halewood manufactures and distributes brands including Whitley Neill, Marylebone, City of London Gin, Liverpool Gin and Dead Man’s Finger’s rum.

Whitley Neill was Halewood’s first travel retail launch. A wide variety of flavours are available in channel-exclusive one-litre bottles.

As noted in our recent interview with Halewood Wines & Spirits Managing Director Global Travel Retail Simon Roffe, the company sees travel retail as a vital channel for brand-building, volume and new product development.

Duty free sales have played a significant part in Halewood’s success since it launched Whitley Neill Gin in the channel three years ago, the company said.

Of Halewood’s 25 premium spirit brands, more than half are gins, many of which come from the company’s own distilleries.

Speaking of the results, Chief Executive Stewart Hainsworth commented: “Halewood has delivered an exceptional year of profitable growth, winning the IWSC UK Gin Producer of the Year 2018 award and numerous other industry accolades.

“The strategy of offering artisanal gins across all channels, regions and consumer price points has transformed the business with an incredible performance from Whitley Neill Gin, which is now the best-selling premium gin in the UK.”

Key investments during the year included the completion of the Aber Falls Distillery in Wales, the purchase of rum brand Dead Man’s Fingers and the acquisition of Polish vodka brand Vestal.

Announcing its results this month, Halewood also confirmed that it was disposing of some non-core brands, including its Romanian wine business and its investment in Irish whiskey producer West Cork Distillers.

Eamon Prunty joins the Halewood travel retail team as the company reinforces its focus on the channel.

On travel retail performance, Simon Roffe said: “Over the last year our Whitley Neill brand has taken a core role in the premium and flavoured gin categories with many operators in all travel retail channels and has been recognised with a number of operator and shopper-based awards.

“Priorities for the coming year are not only the further expansion of the Whitley Neill portfolio across the travel retail channel on a global basis, but also to introduce new brands to the channel, such as Dead Man’s Fingers rums.”

The company has also announced the appointment of Eamon Prunty as head of UK & European travel retail, reporting to Roffe.

“Eamon has a long and successful track record in the duty free business and will be a key asset to continuing the success story,” commented Roffe.

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