Merged drinks group rebranded

The company created from the merger of drinks wholesaler William Morton and wine merchant Inverarity Vaults is moving all operations to its Glasgow headquarters.

The two businesses had been trading separately following the merger six months ago, but yesterday revealed that the combined entity would be re-branded Inverarity Morton.

It is the first stage of a £400,000 investment programme for 2012 that will see all back office, stock management and delivery software systems upgraded and new vehicles added to the fleet.

Savings will be made across other areas of the business, with the closure of the Symington depot, which had been home to Inverarity Vaults for over a decade, and the loss of three members of staff in administration support.

Managing director Stephen Russell said the decision was unanimous among the board, with Hamish Martin, Inverarity’s founder, agreeing it was in the best interests of the company.

He said the firm had carried out an assessment of its enlarged business and come to the conclusion that it was overstaffed in certain areas and did not need to run two distribution depots.

“It was a tough but essential decision and Hamish is 100 per cent on side,” he said. “He wants to see Inverarity Morton thrive, not just survive, and supports these measures because they will help us get into the best possible shape to meet future growth plans.”

The company is now one of Scotland’s largest independent drinks distributors with a turnover of more than £50 million and workforce of 150.

Since the deal to unite the two well-established businesses was announced in July, the firm has managed to retain all of its more than 2,000 clients, which include the Di Maggio’s and G1 groups and all Michelin-starred restaurants in Scotland.

William Morton has been trading since 1945 and Inverarity since 1991.