Despite the Covid-19 pandemic, the branch is keen to expand its Glasgow presence.
Craft beer brewers and popular Ashton Lane pub, Innis and Gunn are planning to open a second taproom in Glasgow.
Following the recent opening of a new pub in Leith last Friday, the blossoming business, created in 2003, has expressed a keen interest in Glasgow as a site for yet another taproom.
Currently, alongside its Ashton Lane location, it runs an in-house microbrewery in the Argyle Street Arches. While other smaller pub companies have had to let staff go, close outlets, and downsize, Innis and Gunn have had no job losses.
Most of the 150 furloughed staff have now returned to work, and with Edinburgh’s new pub, 12 more jobs will be made available. With the help of their next-day beer delivery service launched this May, where consumers can order cold pints for delivery before 5pm the following day, the business has actually increased their profits over the lockdown period.
The company’s founder, Dougal Gunn Sharp, holds high hopes for the future, telling The Herald that he believes “pubs will return to some sort of normality”. Mr Sharp admits the pandemic may alter the pub scene yet will not “change people’s love of the pub”. He described British pub culture as being “unique in the world” and something to be proud of.
With over 50 awards to their name, including both gold and silver in last year’s New York International Beer Awards, the 2019 Scottish Brewery of the Year has remained resilient during the chaos of 2020.
Speaking to the Scottish Licensed Trade News prior to the opening of the Leith pub, Sharp said: “We’re feeling incredibly fortunate to be able to continue with our growth plans during this difficult and uncertain time.
“In the past few months, our team has excelled. The business is in great shape and, now that the hospitality sector is starting to open up again, we are looking to the future so that means progressing with our planned retail expansion.”
Back in May amid lockdown, they became the first Scottish brewery to introduce a next-day-delivery service – meaning you can get your hands on their beer in just 24 hours.
