Roust will manage the import and distribution of the Roust portfolio in the UK which includes premium, iconic vodka brands Russian Standard, Żubrówka and Green Mark.
Since 2015, Roust has partnered with William Grant & Sons UK Ltd to manage the distribution of Russian Standard, Green Mark and Żubrówka vodkas across Off and On-Trade channels.
As of 1 January 2021, Roust UK Ltd will operate as a full-service distributor and will directly manage customer relationships and the supply chain to the major Grocers. The company will sell direct to the major Grocers whilst working with Paragon Brands to manage distribution to the Impulse, Wholesale and the On-Trade channels.
The launch of Roust UK will see the natural end of the five-year partnership between Roust and William Grant & Sons UK as of December 2020. The two companies will continue their strong working relationships across other international markets in the EMEA region, including Poland, Hungary and France.
Jonathan Ashworth, who will head up the new Roust UK organisation, commented, “I would like to thank William Grant & Sons UK for helping advance the growth and momentum of our portfolio in the UK allowing us to develop this hybrid approach to distributing our brands. With the major Grocers representing a significant part of our UK business, we will be focusing Roust UK’s attention in this sector, while working with Paragon Brands to manage our other key customers.”
Neil Barker, Managing Director UK&I at William Grant & Sons, added: “We are glad to have played a key role in the development of the Russian Standard, Green Mark and Żubrówka brands over the last five years, and we wish Roust well in the new venture. This is an exciting time for William Grant & Sons as we take our next step to prioritise the long-term success and growth of our own premium and luxury portfolio, ensuring a smooth transition period for all our valued customers to Roust UK Ltd and Paragon Brands.”
Chris Jones, Founder and Managing Director of Paragon Brands, said: ‘It’s a great privilege to be working with the exceptional Roust portfolio of brands during this new chapter of their evolution in the UK. The whole Paragon team look forward to working on Roust’s enviable collection of some of the world’s most recognised vodka brands.’
Roust is the world’s 2nd largest vodka producer and owns a portfolio of multi-award-winning brands, which are testament to Roust’s commitment to producing superior quality liquids.
Russian Standard Vodka is the World’s Number 1 premium Russian vodka with global sales of over 3.6M 9L cases. In the UK, Russian Standard is the Number 2 vodka brand selling over 1 million 9L cases. The Russian Standard portfolio includes flagship vodka brand Russian Standard Original and premium products Russian Standard Gold and Russian Standard Platinum.
Żubrówka is the world’s 3rd largest vodka brand and is available in more than 80 markets worldwide. In 2019, Żubrówka Biała – Poland’s best-selling vodka brand – was successfully launched across the UK impulse channel.
Green Mark is the world’s 3rd fastest growing vodka brand and embodies the high standards of quality and excellence symbolised by the Green Mark seal on the bottle.
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