Eye on Drinks Trade

the contacts and the desire to make it work. In this respect, I was prepared to do whatever it took to make it a success. I worked long hours, travelled the country and put everything I had into the job.

“From sales to sampling, we did it all ourselves. We didn’t have the luxury in those days of promotional staff and agencies to support us – so I was calling on customers during the day and attending tasting events at night. On top of sales, I was also working as credit controller and purchase manager too!

“We simply worked as hard as we could and gradually things started to grow.”

United Wines started operating out of Elmwood House in South Belfast, using third party warehouse space on Boucher Road. Five years later, in 1990, it acquired Newry company Milestone Wine & Spirits and moved to a bigger 10,000sqft warehouse on Boucher Road.

In 1995, another move was on the cards to new offices and a much bigger 30,000sqft warehouse on Milewater Road in Belfast.

The product portfolio continued to grow with the addition of Seagram spirits and wine brands including Martell Cognac, Morgan’s Spiced Rum and Absolut Vodka.

The acquisition of Seagram by Diageo and Pernod Ricard in 2001 was a significant blow but the company recovered with the addition of Halewood International spirits, and, in the subsequent years, what Martin describes as a ‘massive milestone’ contract with Australian wine brand McGuigan. Winning the Kulov Vodka account, on which Martin had worked in his earlier days, was also a significant boost to the business.

Growth continued at pace and in 2003, United Wines moved to its current location at Silverwood Business Park in Craigavon, with a massive 80,000sqft warehouse.

The success didn’t go unnoticed and in November 2005, the business was bought by wholesaler Waverley TBS, owned by brewing company Scottish & Newcastle.

In 2008, 23 years after United Wines was founded, Martin’s hard work was rewarded when he took over the position of Managing Director.

An eventful first year saw Scottish & Newcastle taken over by drinks giant HEINEKEN in 2008, before Heineken Ireland purchased United Wines.

“It was a crazy start to my new role as Managing Director,” said Martin, “but having spent well over 30 years in the business, working in just about every job and department that I could, I was well equipped for any challenges that would come my way.

“There was so much going in those early stages with the Waverley acquisition and subsequent purchase by Heineken Ireland. And at ground level, I remember, within two days of me taking over, our leading salesman came into my office and told me he was leaving – and off he went.

“I recall thinking to myself… so this is what it’s like to be the boss!”

It wasn’t long however before Martin settled into the role and since then, the company has gone from strength to strength, expanding its operations across the island of Ireland, boosted by the strength-in-depth and enhanced reputation that comes with being owned by a global brand.

“The Heineken acquisition definitely helped take us to another level, giving us the financial power and ‘muscle’ to grow and expand the business in a way that we couldn’t have done beforehand – at least not in the same timeframe,” explained Martin.

Now, 15 years into his role as Managing Director, the business certainly hasn’t got any easier with the drinks industry suffering more than most from an unprecedented three years that has seen the world change dramatically in the face of Covid-19, Brexit, the war in Ukraine and the resulting energy and fuel cost crisis.

“I’ve always loved working in the drinks industry, from those childhood days in the Halfway House,” said Martin. “It’s an exciting and fast-moving sector but there’s no doubt that it can also be a tough and cut-throat business, relying on high volumes with very low margins.

“In the past few years, we’ve really experienced a perfect storm that nobody would have believed let alone foreseen in 2019 – with a string of well-documented global events having a catastrophic impact on our industry and the international business community as a whole.

“However, the drinks sector in Ireland is nothing if not resilient and we will pull through. I’m a great believer in positivity, which is something I try to instil in my team as well,” he added.

“This is not a time to bury your head in the sand and cry about inflation and the recession. If you stand still, you fall behind so it’s important to stay positive, plan for success and find ways to stay ahead of the market. Consolidate and grab what opportunities you can.

“From a United Wines perspective, we’re in a very strong position as we enter 2023 and I’m confident that we’ll enjoy another good year with lots of potential for growth within our existing outlets and product range.”

One opportunity that Martin is excited about is the growth of the ‘no and low alcohol’ category.

“Our portfolio is already pretty full but I see massive opportunities in areas such as no and low alcohol,” enthused Martin. “The category has grown by 506% in the past six years and is now worth £105m per year in Northern Ireland.

“Last month (January), our zero alcohol lines experienced a year on year sales increase of 22%, with brands like Heineken 0.0 and McGuigan Zero leading the way as older consumers look to moderate their alcohol intake and younger drinkers move away from traditional drinking norms and towards a healthier lifestyle.

“Both of these brands have worked really hard for many years to produce great tasting ‘no alcohol’ beer and wine –and that work has paid off. They’ve finally cracked it and now the opportunity for these products to sit in different parts of the store, away from the alcohol section, is huge. We’re also experiencing significant growth in draught, with more and more Heineken 0.0 taps being installed in bars around the country.

“So, it’s not all doom and gloom, and there are opportunities out there if you look for them,” concludes Martin, “but it’s important that you have good people around you and that’s certainly the case at United Wines.

“We’re living in tough times but I’m lucky to have an amazing and hardworking team, who I would like to thank for all their efforts. We really couldn’t run this business or enjoy the success we have to date without them.”