A brewing industry veteran and Scotland’s national chef have called on the Scottish retail and hospitality trades to get behind a new campaign to make St. Andrew’s Day a major moment in the calendar.
Nigel McNally, who spearheaded the trade rebirth of St. George’s Day in England - and who bought the beer brand Kestrel in 2012 - estimates that Scotland’s supermarkets, local retailers, pubs, bars and restaurants could be missing out on turnover of up to £40m by not focusing promotional attention on Scotland's national day.
Meanwhile, Glaswegian Masterchef The Professionals winner Gary Maclean said: “Our industry has gone through hell from lockdowns to a recovery coming in fits and starts and now with the cost-of-living crisis, rising energy and produce costs, the sector could do with a proper shot in the arm.
“St. Andrew’s Day has been neglected in the shadow of Burns and Hogmanay, but it’s our national day and it seems mad not to make more of it.”
McNally drove a tenfold increase in sales for the English bitter brand Bombardier on the back of St. George’s Day in the 1990s and believes there has never been a better time to do something similar north of the border.
“By Scottish standards, St. Andrew’s Day is a relative non-event and at a time when figures show that UK pubs lost £5.7bn of revenue from beer sales in 2021 and the retail sector remains in recovery mode with rising prices and supply chain issues, it’s time to do something about re-imagining what the National Day should look like,“ he stated.
“We know from experience that we need to galvanise the trade, make some noise and seize the opportunity staring us in the face.“
It is estimated that St Patrick’s Day contributes €58.3m euros to the Irish economy each year - and attracts a spend of $5.14bn annually in the US alone.
The Kestrel Beer Co is launching a programme of St. Andrew’s Day promotions and deals, backed by a nationwide marketing campaign.
Partnerships are already in place with Asda, a range of Scottish independent and convenience stores and in the on-trade.
Under McNally's stewardship, Kestrel has returned to its Scottish roots and is made at a factory adjacent to Glasgow Cathedral where brewing has taken place at the site since 1556, making it the oldest continuous commercial concern in Glasgow.
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