James Beeson

Keystone business fundamentals ‘strong’ insists CEO despite sale document leak Keystone is operating at well below its 265,000hl annual capacity

Keystone business fundamentals "strong" insists CEO despite company being touted for sale by restructuring firm FRP Advisory.

🤔 🤔 🤔

www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/keyston...

Keystone Brewing Group ‘still brewing’ despite administration fears Keystone insisted it was still 'fighting for the future of great beer'

“An NOI is not a protective measure,” a senior restructuring source told @thegrocer.bsky.social. “You only file an NOI where there is a settled intention to appoint an administrator.

“Using it solely for protection from creditor action is an abuse of process.”

www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/keyston...

I see a certain B2B 'magazine' is going for speed over accuracy again.

No wish to defend Keystone/Breal but publishing a story stating they have gone into administration when they haven't is poor journalism, potentially libellous and gives the rest of us working hard to establish facts a bad name.

Following a period of rapid expansion, Keystone had delivered circa £20m in revenue over the past 12 months, the supplier said. It expects to double this figure in the next year through a mixture of licensing agreements, partnerships, new acquisitions and organic growth. Keystone was on track to deliver revenues of £100m by 2028, Breal partner and shareholder Mark Williams said.

Here's what Keystone/Breal had to say about its *ahem* ambitious target to hit £100m in annual sales revenues as recently as July.

At the time it felt as though it's execs were living in fantasy land. And now we know they absolutely were.

Pre-pack in, pre-pack out, leaving a wave of destruction and unpaid bills in their wake.

An industry source speaks:

“They thought they could snap up a ton of assets for next to nothing and it would somehow work. They took on too many brands in too short a time without any proper portfolio strategy or willingness to invest behind the brands.”

Hard to disagree.

Yeah, those two and North probably the exceptions. But the common thread was that they were all opportunistic acquisitions of distressed brands. Keystone didn't buy them because it wanted them. It bought them because it could get them on the cheap.

Breal-backed beer group Keystone Brewing on verge of administration Keystone employs almost 200 people in the UK and owns two production sites in Yorkshire and Warwickshire

Breal bought a slew of unloved brands and then engaged in a damaging race to the bottom. This was the inevitable conclusion and the only surprise is that it has taken this long.

My thoughts are with the blameless employees that will be affected by their failure.

www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/breal-b...

Can Diageo’s new CEO ‘Drastic Dave’ repeat Tesco turnaround trick? Dave Lewis brings a heavy-hitting reputation to the top job at Diageo. Can he fix the ailing drinks giant?

Can Diageo’s new CEO ‘Drastic Dave’ repeat Tesco turnaround trick?

My take on the day's biggest fmcg story via @thegrocer.bsky.social.

www.thegrocer.co.uk/comment-and-...

😬😬😬

How much do we think a pint, though?

We've also covered the campaign today and were already planning to run a letter this week from Barry Masteron as well. But I suppose that doesn't suit the narrative.

They're quite literally not my words though. They're the words of Darryl Hinksman, business development manager at Westons. Helen's beef ought to be with him, not me.

That's beyond my control, unfortunately. You get a certain number of articles for free each month by registering.

I simply want people to acknowledge and recognise the difference between news and opinion. It's not that difficult.

Also, I'm not a supposed journalist. I'm a journalist and have been gainfully employed as one for over five years.

Also, this wasn't a press release.

Suppliers challenge Westons’ assertion that perry is ‘dead’ Producers including Ross-on-Wye, Little Pomona and Oliver's have all pledged to support perry

www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/supplie...

I'm annoyed to be lumped in with a supplier whose views I don't share! And to be criticised for reporting a response to a perfectly valid question I asked one of the UK's leading cidermakers. Especially when we published a follow-up piece yesterday basically saying why Westons was wrong.

I think the vast majority of the campaign and quotes are great. It's fantastic to see that so many suppliers are so passionate about protecting and championing perry. I just don't know why the dig at "journalists, publications" is necessary. It's petty and serves no purpose.

What’s in a name? Why Westons ditched perry tag to win over younger cider drinkers The Herefordshire cidermaker says nobody knows what the term 'perry' means. But should it not be its job to educate them?

For the avoidance of doubt, and because some people don't seem to be able to tell the difference between news and opinion, here's my own view on why Weston's is wrong to declare the death of #perry 🍐

www.thegrocer.co.uk/comment-and-...

Ps the press release actively references The Grocer's article right at the top of it.

I literally don't agree with what Westons said. Does that mean we shouldn't publish a news story about what one of the UK's leading cidermakers thinks? Absolutely not.

Why news and opinion are being so unfairly conflated here is what has angered me. Not Helen's right to defend the category.

I'm delighted that this piece has provoked such a strong reaction from the cider and perry growing community, which I have also championed for many years. I just don't think it's particularly fair that Helen has lumped me in with Weston's when I don't share their view!

What’s in a name? Why Westons ditched perry tag to win over younger cider drinkers The Herefordshire cidermaker says nobody knows what the term 'perry' means. But should it not be its job to educate them?

www.thegrocer.co.uk/comment-and-...

Of course I do. But this was a news story based on what someone else said, so I shouldn't really be the recipient of criticism for something that isn't my own opinion.

My own take, if anyone is actually interested, was published on The Grocer yesterday. TL;DR I don't agree with Westons!

Because Helen is the only one who chose to have a pop at the writer, for some bizarre reason. Don't shoot the messenger, and don't bite the hand that you're asking to feed you.

Also, a bit of a weird way to go about asking someone to cover your press release whilst simultaneously attacking them for publishing the story that led to you writing it in the first place!?

Hi @helenannesmith.bsky.social. Not really sure why I am getting it in the neck from you here for doing my job, asking Westons a question and reporting their response. Us publishing Westons words is not the same as us agreeing with them. Low hanging fruit to slate journalists though I guess...

Editorial: Perry Is Not Dead. Westons’ statement that “perry is dead” dismisses centuries-old craftsmanship and cultural significance. Barry argues that education, not erasure, is essential.

Westons' statement that "perry is dead" dismisses centuries-old craftsmanship and cultural significance. Barry (@barmas.bsky.social) argues that education, not erasure, is essential.

With reference to
@beesononbooze.bsky.social’s recent article.

Sunrise Alliance Beverages to streamline Gipsy Hill operations with some production moving to Kent The move will impact a number of production roles in south London

Hepcat is moving to Kent.

Sunrise Alliance Beverages is to shift production of Gipsy Hill's core range beers to Curious Brewing in Kent, following another year of heavy losses at the south London brewery.

Read the story, exclusively in @thegrocer.bsky.social.

www.thegrocer.co.uk/news/sunrise...

Typically, no! You have to dig into the data which can be less than straightforward. We usually don't run delisting stories unless a brand has been ditched by several retailers leading to a meaningful downturn in sales.