Carlsberg UK is creating a premium brand and sales division called the House of Beers, as part of its ongoing transformation to focus on brewing and selling a portfolio of premium quality brands.
The House of Beers will be exclusively dedicated to premium, world and craft beers and ciders and will provide specialist support to customers within the Independent Free Trade operating premium on-trade venues within major cities across the UK.
The division’s brand portfolio includes Carlsberg UK’s collection of premium and craft beer and cider brands including its Backyard Brewery range imported from Sweden, its Herefordshire craft cider Bad Apple, Belgian beer Grimbergen and Spanish beer, Mahou.
The brewer will also be looking to expand the portfolio in the future.
The portfolio will be curated, like the rest of Carlsberg UK’s brand portfolio, by Liam Newton, Vice-President of Brand Marketing, and will be supported by a specialist marketing team with experience in premium brands.
The House of Beers sales team will be led by new recruit Craig Ogden, who has previously worked at Remy Cointreau UK and Bacardi Brown-Forman.
In addition to this specialist team, a team of brand ambassadors for its Backyard Brewery Grimbergen and Bad Apple brands have been put in place to provide training, brand support, advice and events to customers’ on-trade venues.
UK chief executive officer, Julian Momen comments: “This is a pivotal moment in the transformation of our business to focus on brewing and selling a portfolio of premium quality beer brands. We remain committed to our core brands and core customer-offering, but through focused expertise and a specific brand portfolio, the House of Beers adds something new, and will be built by the right people, with the right capabilities, enabling us to help build customers’ businesses in line with consumer desire for premium, world and craft.”