Burleighs Gin set to expand grocery presence with new £250,000 funding    

Burleighs Gin, the Leicestershire distiller, said it looks to expand its presence in the convenience channel with a new funding it secured from the Midlands Engine Investment Fund.

Provided by The FSE Group, the £250,000 funding package will enable the distillery to recruit five full-time jobs within its sales and operational functions, allowing the brand to focus even further on developing its premium gin range, with two new products in the pipeline.

The funding will also allow the company to further establish its export sales – expanding its presence in Europe and the Far East.

“This is a very exciting time for Burleighs Gin. We have a clear vision of where we want to take our business – expanding the brand overseas and continuing our growth in the UK,” Sam Watson, commercial director of Burleighs Gin, said.

“We are due to launch two new marketing campaigns to support the forthcoming product launches and would like to extend our thanks to Chirag [Mistry, fund manager], at The FSE Group, for helping us to source the funding which will enable the business to pursue its growth ambitions and keep the day-to-day sales, distribution and operations fluid whilst we look to the future.”

Watson said the brand will also look to grow its availability in convenience stores, following increased focus on the channel since the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We have always supplied local grocery and independent stockists, but this was upweighted this year. We’re particularly hoping to grow our list of grocery stockists within Leicestershire and the East Midlands, as well as securing further national listings,” he said.

Watson added that the pandemic forced the distillery to diversify as restaurants and bars which made up a large proportion of its trade have been hit hard by the lockdowns.

“We had to pivot significantly quickly to online and direct-to-consumer sales, as well as virtual gin tasting experiences, rather than our very popular distillery experience days and gin-making sessions,” he said. “The Government’s new roadmap and the financial investment has given us even more to work towards and hopefully a much more positive year ahead for the drinks industry.”

The Midlands Engine Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.