Andrew Torrance, John Beard and Ian Bankier

WHISKY INDUSTRY HEAVYWEIGHT

 JOINS THE WHISKY SHOP BOARD

Arrival Of Former Whyte & Mackay CEO Will Assist Expansion Drive

The Whisky Shop, the UK’s largest specialist whisky retailer, has announced the appointment of former Whyte & Mackay CEO John Beard as non-executive director.

The business, which now has 23 shops in the UK, including a new flagship store in London’s Piccadilly, is gearing up for a period of further expansion in its home market as well as overseas.

The Whisky Shop is the first retailer in the UK to provide a dedicated platform for some of the world’s most exclusive and high value whiskies and is widely regarded by the industry as the leading specialist whisky retailer in the world. 

Ian Bankier, founder and chairman of The Whisky Shop, said: “Having established a sizeable footprint in the UK, we now have aspirations to expand into Europe. John brings us a wealth of experience of overseas markets and brand development and will play an important role in helping us achieve our international growth ambitions.” 

Mr Beard was until recently CEO of Whyte & Mackay Limited.  He left at the end of 2013 and recently worked with Lion Capital Private Equity in a £430m bid for Whyte & Mackay, which ultimately went to a higher bidder.

A highly experienced global drinks executive, Mr Beard spent his formative career with the Bacardi Group rising to become UK CEO of £300m turnover Bacardi Brown Forman Brands, from where he moved on to become Global Chief Executive of Whyte & Mackay Limited.

John Beard said: “I’ve known Ian and his managing director Andrew Torrance for several years and watched in admiration as they have grown the business with an unwavering focus on quality.

“The Whisky Shop’s reputation amongst the industry’s key brand owners and the discerning public is an enviable one and I’m greatly looking forward to be joining the team in a non-Executive part-time capacity, supporting Ian Bankier’s leadership and Andrew Torrance’s dynamic management.”

Ian Bankier added: “The international appetite for premium whisky is growing strongly, giving us the confidence to examine a number of exciting opportunities to replicate our UK growth in overseas markets. We are looking at Europe first.”

The Whisky Shop is the UK’s largest whisky only specialist retailer with a full range available online at http://www.whiskyshop.com/ and at 23 stores nationwide, including premium flagships in London’s Piccadilly and on Manchester’s Exchange Street.