IRN-BRU has appealed to the public for help after a lorry carrying more than 41,000 bottles of the Scottish soft drink was stolen, with the brand using a tongue-in-cheek social media post to draw attention to the theft.
The brand’s post tagged KitKat and Guinness, asking whether either knew a good detective, before making a serious appeal for information.
The lorry was stolen from a partner facility on Little Drum Road in Cumbernauld, Lanarkshire, on the evening of September 27. It was carrying 41,184 bottles of IRN-BRU Regular and Zero, packed across 26 pallets, weighing around 22 tonnes in total.
The distinctive orange vehicle was later captured on CCTV travelling south, with reports of a possible sighting in Cumbria, England.
“It was an interesting decision by the robbers, it’s not like a bright coloured IRN-BRU truck is easy to hide," The Scottish Sun quoted Kenny Nicholson, brand director at IRN-BRU, as saying.
“We think they’ve forgotten just how recognised IRN-BRU is – even in England. “We appreciate their great taste but it’s really not on, we hope they are caught ‘orange handed’ soon, with Police Scotland’s finest on the case.
“The next line of enquiry must be ‘where the truck do you hide 41,000 bottles of BRU?'
“If you have spotted anything suspicious, anyone with an unusually high stock of BRU, please get in touch with Police Scotland.”
Police Scotland is investigating the theft and has urged anyone with information to contact officers on 101.
The incident follows other high-profile cargo thefts involving consumer goods, including the theft of 12 tonnes of KitKat bars in Europe earlier this year, which prompted the chocolate brand to launch a public-facing tracker to help locate the missing shipment.
For retailers, the case highlights the importance of being alert to suspicious offers of unusually large quantities of branded stock at prices that appear too good to be true.