Acclaimed ‘Pendle Witches’ brewer Moorhouse’s has rolled out innovative new branding and recruited sales staff to grow business in its 150th anniversary year.
In a bold marketing move, the award winning Lancashire brewer has unveiled striking ‘consumer friendly’ pump clips, with the brewery name to the fore and brewing medals replaced by taste profiles. The colourful clips will bolster Moorhouse’s brand image across the UK as business develops with national pub companies, while also helping cask-ale drinkers choose their tipple.
Permanent stockists will be issued with sturdy brass clips featuring a magnetised inner section easily changed without removing the clip from the pump. The appointments will strengthen free trade support from ‘the North West’s newest regional brewer’, which has enjoyed 10 per cent growth for the past year and now has an annual turnover north of £5m.
Experienced publican Hamish Boyle is handling the Yorkshire Pennines and Dales, while Rhys Foster will develop business in the Lakes & Fylde. Hamish was formerly the licensee of the York’s famous Ship Inn by the River Ouse. Rhys, 24, of Leyland, has previously held supervisory posts in the hospitality industry around Preston. New telesales staff Clare Town, Karen Howarth and Antonia Price will bolster regular contact with free trade customers.
Managing director David Grant said: “As a former Burnley back street brewer our 150th anniversary is a real milestone year for the business. And the year when we aim to give our customers even more support with our distinctive, consumer friendly branding and new sales people.
“We are proud of our many awards, but they convey little to the average pub goer. So we decided to replace them on our pump clips with brief taste notes. People want to know the strength and the taste when choosing beer and these notes will make cask ale more accessible as it continues to attract many new followers exploring different styles.
“In 2011 we invested £4m plus to treble our capacity. Since then we have bucked the economic climate to enjoy record sales year-on-year, gaining a strong presence nationally. We were 26 per cent up at Christmas, but we still need to sell much more beer to reach full capacity. The new branding backed by the appointment of Hamish and Rhys, both with strong trade experience, and new telesales staff are significant moves to achieve our targets.” Ends/MHPR- New branding 2015
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Notes to editors:
*Moorhouse’s has won more awards than any comparable brewer, including Black Cat voted Camra Supreme Champion Beer of Britain 2000 and Pride of Pendle hailed the Champion Cask Ale title at the Brewing Industry International Awards 2004.
Founder William Moorhouse established his drinks manufacturing business in Accrington Road, Burnley, Lancashire in 1865. Originally it produced mineral waters and then low strength hop bitters for Temperance Movement bars. Moorhouse’s began full strength brewing in the 1970s and in the eighties Manchester businessman Bill Parkinson bought the then ailing brewery ‘because he liked the beer’.
In 2011 a new £4.2m brewing complex was launched to expand production capacity to 1000 brewer’s barrels a week. Currently some 600 barrels a week are produced and the brewery has an annual turnover of £5m plus. Moorhouse’s directly supplies several hundred pubs throughout the North West region and in Yorkshire, while distributing nationally via leading wholesalers and major pub chains.
Christmas 2014 saw sales spike by 28 per cent over the previous year, much of this attributed to growth with national pub companies such as Enterprise and Punch.
For further information contact: Steve Hobman, Rhino Public Relations: 07751 578605. email: shobman@rhinopr.freeserve.co.uk