Wholesaler Forth Wines has returned to Scottish ownership after a group of drinks industry veterans bought the company from Matthew Clark.

Forth, a leading wine and spirit supplier to Scottish restaurants, pubs and clubs, will continue to operate out of its offices in Milnathort, near Kinross, with all 51 staff kept on.

The new owners include George Thomson, Ewen Cameron and Ian Cumming, who between them have more than 80 years’ experience working for companies such as Diageo, WaverleyTBS and First Drinks.

They are joined by finance expert Alan Cramond and backed by a small group of private investors, plus The Royal Bank of Scotland.

New managing director Thomson said: ‘This acquisition gives us the platform to build on the already successful foundations at Forth Wines, while each taking a financial stake in the business.’

The group’s focus, he added, would be ‘to grow the business into one which has an unrivalled wine portfolio and which has customer service and support at its heart’.

Established in 1961, Forth Wines has a range of over 1,100 wines on its books and was acquired by Matthew Clark in 2001.

News item from Imbibe.com, 12-08-2010