The brands, domains and customer loyalty app behind the first speciality beer shop in Glasgow are being offered for sale by Metis Partners, a commercial intellectual property consulting firm.
The sale of the intellectual property (IP) assets of Hippo Beers Limited (in liquidation) and Fusion Beer Distribution Limited (also in liquidation), a craft beer shop with combined wholesale distribution arm, will be of notable interest to the retail, hospitality and beer brewing sectors, as well as those in brand acquisition and FMCG retail, says Metic Partner.
Launched in Glasgow’s West End in November 2012, Hippo Beers was the city’s first speciality and craft beer shop and boasted a selection of some 350 craft beers at any given time. The shop soon formed a reputation for craft and world beers, real ales, hard-to-find ciders and fine wines that spread beyond Glasgow.
The e-commerce website made brisk trade in both beers and branded merchandise and quickly created a loyal brand following. Hippo Beers generated revenue of more than £250,000 in the year to June 2017.
Increasing demand from wholesale customers led to the incorporation of Fusion Beer Distribution in August 2015, which supplied beers, wines, ales and ciders to shops, bars and restaurants across Scotland. It generated more than £100,000 in revenue in the last year.
The Hippo Taproom, a basement bar in the heart of Glasgow’s city centre, was launched in June 2016, and was described as “chilled” (The List) and “funky” (DesignMyNight), among other reviews. The venue generated circa £100,000 in annual revenue. The Hippo Taproom has TripAdvisor ratings of 4.5 and Google ratings of 4.9 and a well-deserved reputation, offering one of the widest selections of craft beer in Scotland.
Loyal customers
Joint interim liquidator, Stuart Robb, said: “Hippo Beers has a loyal customer base and an excellent reputation, selling and distributing craft beer in Scotland. Given the strong interest to date, we are hopeful that a buyer can be found for all or some of the intellectual property assets.”
Morven Fraser, of Metis Partners, said: “This sale is certain to attract a high degree of interest from those with a foothold, or looking to establish a foothold, in the historically difficult-to-enter brewing market.
“Anyone in the relevant sectors who is looking to expand their brand or trademark portfolios, or to take advantage of the excellent customer loyalty app and related databases, will be interested in this offering.
“Hippo Beers and Fusion Beer Distribution have an excellent reputation, both on- and offline. With recognition as Glasgow’s best beer shop / bar / pub by Yelp in 2014, and best business initiative in Scotland by the British Institute of Innkeeping in 2013, this degree of reputation and goodwill from the company is a significant asset that rarely appears on the market.”
The IP assets for sale include a notable portfolio of attractive speciality and craft beer brands, branded website content and domain names, a versatile customer loyalty app, and unregistered trademarks.
All offers should be submitted directly to Morven Fraser, of Metis Partners, by Tuesday September 19, 2017. For further information, contact Morven Fraser of Metis Partners at morven@metispartners.com or call 0141 353 3011.
