Edinburgh: Innis & Gunn, Heriot Watt brewery go-ahead

Elsewhere, permanent shop worker vacancies in Scotland have escalated further over the past quarter, with one in six retail premises now lying empty, the director of the Scottish Retail Consortium has said.

David Lonsdale made the claim in the body's quarter three retail report.

The figures show that in the third quarter of 2021, the Scottish vacancy rate increased to 16.4%, from 16.1% in Q2.

It was 2.4 percentage points higher than in the same point in 2020.

Shopping Centre vacancies decreased marginally to 21.4% from Q2's 21.5% and on the high street, vacancies increased to 15% in Q3, from Q2's 14.5%.

Also today, a Scottish craft brewer has hailed an important step forward in the creation of a major new brewery, and a Scottish wholesaler has unveiled significant investment plans amid a profit hike.

City's first major brewery in 150 years

Innis & Gunn’s brewery at Heriot-Watt University’s Research Park has been granted by the City of Edinburgh Council.

While the project remains in a "natural pause" amid the pandemic the firm said it is committted to the £20 million facility.

Spanning a two-hectare site, it will provide increased brewing capacity which will ultimately support the brewer’s continued growth, in the UK and internationally. It is claimed it will be the first major brewery to be built in Edinburgh for over 150 years.

The brewer’s core range, comprising of Innis & Gunn’s The Original, Lager Beer and Session IPA, as well as other unique, cask-matured beers will be brewed at the new site. Beer fans will be able to experience the process first-hand with guided tours of the brewery set to be on offer.

The brewer said one of the most exciting aspects of this project is the collaboration with Heriot-Watt University.

Plans are being drawn up to ensure that students undertaking both undergraduate and postgraduate degrees at the world-renowned School of Brewing and Distilling spend time on placement in the brewery, engaged in on-the-job learning, so that they are as well prepared as possible when entering the job market.

Further collaboration between Innis & Gunn and Heriot-Watt University is envisaged in fields such as low carbon brewing technologies, product and packaging innovation, and new product development.

Plans for the brewery were submitted in May 2020, following a successful crowdfund campaign, which raised £3.3 million from over 2,000 investors. The total budget for the brewery is £20 million.

Dougal Gunn Sharp, founder, Innis & Gunn, said: “I have wanted to build this brewery in Edinburgh for almost two decades and as the business has grown and gone from strength to strength, the importance has only increased. To have planning permission now granted at such an inspiring site is an important step forward.

“Plans for the brewery have taken a natural pause as we all continue to deal with the impacts of the pandemic, but we are committed to building the brewery when the time is right. Although we cannot give an exact date for breaking ground, the longer timeframe does have some positives including more options in the market for the best low-carbon equipment and technology, which have the potential to change the game in terms of energy usage in brewing and packaging processes.

“Over the last year or so, everyone at Innis & Gunn has worked hard to ensure a strong supply chain for our customers and drinkers alike. Our latest published accounts show that our sales in the off-trade increased by almost 30% year on year and this success during a challenging time, only strengthens the business and our need to have our own brewery.”

Lynda Johnstone, global director, estates and facilities at Heriot-Watt University, said: “This is an exciting time for everyone involved and it’s a great honour to have the first brewery to be built in Edinburgh in 150 years located within the Heriot-Watt Research Park.

"When fully operational, this will provide a significant benefit for the students taking our Brewing and Distilling courses, as well as offering many opportunities for us to work together to take advantage of the low-carbon and environmental sustainability expertise we have within the University. This is a great addition to the Research Park which is already recognised internationally as a centre for high calibre science and engineering research.”

Royal Bank owner in steep share fall

Shares in Royal Bank of Scotland owner NatWest Group fell sharply this morning as the chief executive of the state-back lender acknowledged the impact of supply chain disruption and labour shortages on the economy.

The bank reported an operating profit of nearly £1.1 billion for the quarter ended September 30, around three times higher than at the same stage last year, with Alison Rose declaring that it remains “cautiously optimistic” over the outlook.

Wholesaler doubles profits and sanctions investment

CJ Lang & Son, the Dundee-based wholesaler and convenience retailer, reported a doubling of profits as it outlined plans for its biggest investment in its store estate.

The privately-owned business said its faith in the outlook for the convenience store sector has given it the confidence to make the “record-breaking” investment, which follows strong trading throughout the pandemic.

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