PLB Announces Partnership with Brown Brothers

The UK’s leading independent wine importer PLB and innovative, family-owned Australian winery Brown Brothers are joining forces, with PLB taking on the management and distribution of the brand in the UK and Ireland.

The Brown Brothers portfolio will be incorporated into PLB during November and December and PLB will assume full responsibility for the brand from Jan 1st 2011. Brown Brothers personnel will be brought into the PLB business where possible, to ensure that the talent and expertise of the current team is retained.

The strategic move follows a review by Brown Brothers which looked at how they can provide the best possible service to their customers in the UK, and focus on investment in their brand and its development in the UK and Ireland markets.

PLB provides the perfect operation to deliver this via its diverse reach across all UK channel sectors, and the multifunctional service it is able to offer customers, reinforced by a raft of expertise in the sector and a truly global portfolio offering.

PLB also represents some of the world’s most renowned winemakers and sought-after ‘Icon’ wineries, and Brown Brothers saw real synergies with this premium portfolio.

Ross Brown CEO for Brown Brothers, commented, “PLB felt the perfect fit for our business, which we want to grow, invest in and develop across all sectors in the UK. We are excited about working with the PLB team in order to continue to deliver our 120 year old policy of providing innovative, high quality and distinctive wines to UK and Ireland customers and consumers.”

Brown Brothers is one of the most authoritative Australian wine businesses and a member of the ‘Australian First Families of Wine’ (AFFW). The wines are diverse in style and varietals, and known for an innovative and differentiated range in the market.

Brown Brothers will become part of a comprehensive and diverse Australian offering from PLB (which includes another key AFFW Families member, McWilliam’s, together with Zilzie, Geoff Merrill, Step Road, Zontes Footstep, Punt Road and Sticks), as well as enhance the company’s broader and already strong global portfolio.

Commenting on the merger PLB Managing Director Peter Darbyshire said, “We are delighted to welcome Brown Brothers on board. The range is innovative and eclectic, they have a great story, a pioneering approach and the team will bring valuable expertise and insight to the PLB business.”


Notes to editors

PLB began importing wines 26 years ago and has grown to become one of the UK’s largest suppliers to the multiple trade, as well as servicing the independent wine specialist and on–trade through PLB’s rapidly expanding wholesale division. The company also distributes to customers in key international markets. With a wine, beer and spirit producer base that covers Europe, the Americas, Australasia and South Africa, PLB can truly claim to be at the forefront of the UK drinks trade.

Brown Brothers is a leading Australian winery founded by John Francis Brown in 1889. Brown Brothers has a long history as one of the leading producers in the UK market championing the Australian wine industry since the mid 1970s.Today it is still owned and run by the Brown family and produces the largest varietal range in Australia, and arguably the world.