Supreme announces acquisition of Clearly Drinks
Image: Clearly Drinks
Supreme Plc has announced the acquisition of Clearly Drinks, a national soft drinks manufacturer headquartered in the North East of England, who, alongside the manufacture of its own brand products such as its Perfectly Clear range, works in partnership with a portfolio of global brands.
The business, which currently employs 105 people, has been acquired for an undisclosed sum following a year of growth and success, with numerous high profile new business wins added to its diverse contract pack portfolio, alongside the launch of new own brand products, including Dino Water which launches in Aldi and Heron stores from July.
This strategic acquisition brings Clearly Drinks under the Supreme umbrella, which aligns not only the business synergies and ambitions, but their broader diversification strategies.
Supreme, which has been operating for more than 30 years, has over 500 employees and currently supplies supermarkets, retailers and wholesalers such as Tesco, Sainsburys, Asda, Morrisons, B&M Bargains, Home Bargain and Booker. The company works with some of the world’s biggest brands, such as Duracell, Energizer and Panasonic, as well as owning its own brands in wellness such as Sci-MX, Sealions and Battle Bites, and also operates a successful licensing model on behalf of Energizer, JCB and Black & Decker, something the business will look to emulate for Clearly Drinks.
Sandy Chadha, CEO of Supreme, commented: “We are delighted to be acquiring Clearly Drinks, a high-quality manufacturer and brand owner of soft drinks, which I believe delivers a significant component of our broader diversification strategy. Our enlarged business is not only gaining a strong additional pillar, which fully aligns with our Vaping, Lighting, Batteries and Sports Nutrition & Wellness categories, but also a significant opportunity to develop and capitalise on further cross and upsell opportunities which our trusted reputation across the UK retail space facilitates. We look forward to welcoming Clearly into the Supreme family.”
Mick Howard, CEO of Clearly Drinks Limited commented: “This is a very exciting time for the business and the team and brings lots of new opportunities as Clearly Drinks looks forward to the future. We’ve brought in some heavyweight brands over recent years and things are going from strength to strength, as the business continues to grow its own brand and the portfolio of contract pack clients. The team are continuously looking ahead and evolving capabilities to diversify into new drinks categories, and so this felt like the right time to bring in a fresh approach and the investment to support the business to hit new heights.
“Whilst I will personally be exiting the business later in 2024, after six years at the helm, I leave behind an incredible management team and I couldn’t be prouder of everything they and the wider team have achieved and will go on to achieve. I know I’m leaving them and our customers in great hands and that they will find Supreme Plc a fantastic fit in so many ways.”
Chris Rees, who has been with Clearly Drinks for 11 years, will step into the newly created general manager position, reporting into Supreme’s CEO, Sandy Chadha.
