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Before You Go...
by 55 North
RETAIL RANDOMS
Watchdog bites Brewdog
It might tout itself as “the world’s first carbon negative brewery,” but the most negative thing about Brewdog just now is all the bad publicity it’s attracting.
Hot on the heels of allegations of a culture of fear at the Ellon-based business which led to former staff “suffering mental illness,” comes a rap on the knuckles from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA).
The advertising watchdog’s hackles were raised after the craft brewer took to social media saying thirsty punters could find a “solid gold” beer can hidden in cases sold from its online store.
As the competition’s winners soon discovered, the cans were in fact gold-plated.
After receiving 25 complaints, the ASA concluded that the adverts were misleading. In its defence, Brewdog had the cheek to suggest “any reasonable consumer who entered the competition” would realise it would never offer a solid gold can as a prize in the first place, since a 330ml lump of the precious metal would set you back something in the region of £363,000.
Brewdog said the cans were actually worth £15,000, based on the cost of making them, the metal used and the somewhat nebulous “quality of the product”.
One winner, Mark Craig from Lisburn, appears slightly miffed at not becoming Northern Ireland’s answer to Goldfinger. He thinks his can “is not worth anything”.
Bet he doesn’t chuck it in the recycling though.
Don’t add gravy
Christmas is fast approaching, and if you’re struggling to find the ideal gift for the dog-owning Yorkshire pudding-loving person in your life then look no further.
Aunt Bessie’s has unveiled a dog bed shaped like a Yorkshire pudding.
It claims this is a “UK first” and, since it’s hard to think of another Yorkshire pudding-shaped dog bed manufacturer, we’ll give them that one. The move from frozen Yorkies to pet supplies is not as random as it first appears, since the brand is a charity partner of Guide Dogs.
The bed’s launch celebrates the birth of the aptly-named Bessie, a predictably adorable guide dog puppy that wouldn’t look out of place in an Andrex advert, and is sponsored by Aunt Bessie’s.
All proceeds from the sale of the £50 limited-edition bed will be donated to Guide Dogs.One can only wonder if Aunt Bessie’s asked if it could sponsor a Yorkshire Terrier instead of a Golden Retriever though.
