Brand new way to launch a pub chain

SCOTTISH & Newcastle plays up to its role as a brand-led company, but few breweries could claim to have as loyal a brand following as Speights, based in Edinburgh's southern-hemisphere sister, Dunedin, New Zealand.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Oct 2007, 01:00 BST

Since featuring a heavily branded bar in a series of now famous advertisements, 13 Speights bars have been built around the country.

That formula is now set to enter the UK. But rather than build one of its bars in London to quench the thirst of the tens of thousands of ex-pats based in the city, the New Zealand brewery built one at home and shipped it across the world.

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A crew of young Kiwis has even manned the bar for several hours a day as it sailed via Samoa, the Bahamas, New York and now London, with the latest Speights Ale House due to sail up the River Thames this morning. Gazetteer will be represented at this evening's party.

So popular is the bar expected to be that the brewery is running a ballot for tickets. However, with a nation mourning its rugby world cup exit, the mood could be more sober than Speights had hoped.

GOOD DAY

Orangutan

PLANS to develop a ground-breaking lifting device, called Orangutan, which could cut the cost of wind turbine maintenance, received a boost yesterday when ITI Energy announced that three Scottish companies had won contracts to test the design.

BAD DAY