Distil Regulatory News (DIS)

DISTIL APPOINTS COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR AS IT ANNOUNCES MOVE FROM UK DISTRIBUTOR

New position of Commercial Director created to support accelerated growth ambitions

Distil Plc (AIM: DIS), owner of premium drinks brands RedLeg Spiced Rum, Blackwoods Gin and Vodka, TRØVE Botanical Vodka, Blavod Black Vodka, and Diva Vodka has today announced the appointment of Commercial Director, Alex Baker, as it remodels for accelerated growth.

The announcement has been made in conjunction with the news that Distil will be entering a new distribution agreement with Marussia Beverages UK, following the decision to withdraw its portfolio of spirits from long-term UK distributor, Hi-Spirits.

APPOINTMENT OF COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

Alex Baker brings a wealth of experience to the business. Having begun his sales career at Nestle Purina, Alex moved into the drinks industry with an appointment at William Grant & Sons, where he led the commercial delivery of key retail partners including Sainsbury's, Morrisons & Waitrose, building long term, profit growth for brands such as Glenfiddich, Hendricks & Sailor Jerry.

Recently, Alex has held the position of Business Unit Controller, Grocery, eCommerce, Convenience and Discounters at Hi-Spirits, where he was responsible for leading a team and delivering off-trade performance across a broad portfolio, including Distil brands.

Alex will play a pivotal role in delivering Distil's growth ambitions as it remodels its business. He will be responsible for directly managing major UK off-trade customers, as well as leading the continued drive to expand and open new export markets.

Alex Baker comments: "I've greatly enjoyed working closely with the Distil team during my time at Hi-Spirits. The portfolio of brands is strong and resonates well with consumers, and I'm excited to now bring my experience to the team full-time to help drive the business forward at such an exciting time."

DISTIL TAKES DIRECT CONTROL OF MAJOR CUSTOMERS

The appointment of Alex as Commercial Director is announced in conjunction with the news that Distil will be parting ways with UK distributor Hi-Spirits, with whom it has worked closely with over the last eight years.

Dedicating commercial resource internally through the creation of Alex's position has enabled this important change, and will allow Distil to take direct ownership of servicing its major UK customers.

The move will give Distil direct contact with customers, allowing for closer and more agile account management, control of promotional planning and delivery of strategically aligned brand plans to drive visibility and growth, as well as providing the opportunity to reduce costs at a time of increasing pressures across the supply chain, which is expected to continue in the near term.

SERVICING THE ON-TRADE

The on-trade is a fragmented but important sector for the spirits market and plays a pivotal role in brand building. In order to effectively service the UK on-trade within its new business model, Distil is delighted to announce a new partnership with Marussia Beverages, which will come into effect from 1 October 2022.

Part of the Swiss-based Marussia Beverages Group, Marussia is the UK's leading artisanal spirits business with a strong portfolio of authentic premium brands including Hatozaki and Torabhaig Whiskies, Mozart Chocolate Liqueur and Akashi Sake.

The team will focus on building on-trade distribution and promotion across the Distil portfolio as hospitality recovers post-Covid, as well as managing national on-trade retail and the wholesale channel. The team will also play a key role in successful New Product Development.

Trevenon Weeks, MD Marussia Beverages UK, said; "We're excited to have Distil brands in our portfolio which fit well within our broad range of high-quality products for the on-trade. We look forward to working closely with the team to see where we can take the brands."

COMMENT FROM EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN

Don Goulding, Executive Chairman, comments: "We are excited to welcome Alex Baker to the team in the newly created role of Commercial Director, directly responsible for all sales across domestic and international markets.

His wide experience within the premium spirits market and close knowledge of our brands and customers is invaluable to help drive our business forward and deliver strong results to support our growth ambitions.

We are also delighted to announce the distribution agreement with Marussia Beverages UK. Aligning with our ambitions, we're confident that Marussia Beverages UK is the right on-trade distribution partner for our brands, and look forward to working closely with MD, Trevenon Weeks, and his teams to increase our on-trade and regional retail brand presence and activities.

Hi-Spirits has been a valuable partner for Distil over the last eight years and played a supporting role in helping us to build our brand availability in the earlier stages. We thank the team for everything they have done to support our business.

This significant change represents part of a wider business remodel for Distil. Providing undistracted focus on Distil's portfolio of brands, it will help us to manage cost increases more easily, and better serve our customers to deliver accelerated growth plans."

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About Distil

Distil Plc is quoted on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange. It owns drinks brands in a number of sectors of the alcoholic drinks market. These include premium spiced rum, vodka, gin, vodka vanilla cream liqueur and are called RedLeg Spiced Rum. Blackwoods Vintage Gin, Blackwoods Vodka, TRØVE Botanical Vodkas, Blavod Original Black Vodka and Diva Vodka.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONTAINS INSIDE INFORMATION AS STIPULATED UNDER THE UK VERSION OF THE MARKET ABUSE REGULATION NO 596/2014 WHICH IS PART OF ENGLISH LAW BY VIRTUE OF THE EUROPEAN (WITHDRAWAL) ACT 2018, AS AMENDED. ON PUBLICATION OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT VIA A REGULATORY INFORMATION SERVICE, THIS INFORMATION IS CONSIDERED TO BE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN.