Brightpearl Lightning 50: Pinter named as UK’s fastest growing e-commerce brand
Home brewing beer brand Pinter has been named the UK’s fastest growing online company.
The Walthamstow-based firm has grown sales by more than six-fold to almost £6 million as beer lovers save money in the cost of living crisis by serving £1.50 pints they have brewed at home from its specially developed keg.
The Champions League final day this year was the busiest in its history with a 700% uplift in orders and the Qatar World Cup, with most fans watching from home, is another huge sales driver.
Pinter tops the Lightning 50, a newly published list of the UK’s fastest growing e-commerce brands created by retail operating system venture Brightpearl.
Researchers tracked growth rates for hundreds of companies across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Since launching in 2020, Pinter has amassed a community of 60,000 home brewers and it has sold the equivalent of 3,000,000 million pints. It was named a TIME Magazine invention of the year and its Lost in Translation Brown Ale was voted best in the UK at the recent World Beer Awards where the brand won five gold awards.
Co-founder and CEO Ralph Broadbent says: "We are delighted to be named as the UK's fastest growing online company by Brightpearl. It is a fantastic achievement to not only be recognised in the top 50, but also top this list.”
“Our business is building a platform that will change the way we drink beer at home, built on a foundation of sustainability, innovation and freshness. Where we have come in such a short space of time, is nothing short of incredible.”
“We can't wait to build on this growth and continue our mission to put Fresh Beer into the hands of as many people as possible, while igniting the love and passion for brewing."
Pinter offers homebrewers the option of more than 20 different beers and ciders - from European inspired lagers (Fresh Republic) to American Pale Ale (Stars & Stripes), to moreish cider (Whole Nine Yards).
The World Cup presents a huge opportunity and the brand is developing a new beer to support Gareth Southgate’s team.
Broadbent comments: “In last year’s Euros we did a huge wall poster for our fans and they loved it and the World Cup will be a big opportunity for us.”
“The whole fan experience while watching games at home is enhanced if you are all drinking beer brewed by your own hand.”
Pinter beer is brewed and served in a ten pint keg which pours the liquid on tap in the same way as in a pub. Most customers have two ‘Pinter’ kegs which take seven days to brew the beer - four days for fermentation and three days for conditioning in the fridge.
Once customers have invested in the £79 Pinter keg, it costs £1.50 a pint with brewing kits made of the best ingredients which can be delivered through the letterbox or bought in-store at shops such as Selfridges
Broadbent says: “The value aspect of it is super important because people can carry on home brewing forever once they get a taste for it.”
“But taste is the key part of our appeal and beer tastes best when it is fresh. It is the opposite of a product such as wine which improves with age and the freshest beer you can enjoy is one you brew yourself.”
“Beer you buy in a supermarket can be as much as six months old and a product such as IPA just will not taste the same at that age.”
Next stop is North America where Pinter feels there is huge untapped demand. Broadbent says: “We are looking at other territories. North America is top of the list.”
“Lots of the major breweries have been in touch about putting their products on our platform because they appreciate the benefits of fresh beer and that is a huge opportunity for us, too.”
Tom Blomfield, founder of Go Cardless and challenger bank Monzo, is an investor and on the Pinter board. He describes the venture as one of the best inventions he has ever seen.
To compile the Lightning 50, Brightpearl asked brands to submit annual growth figures from 2020 to 2021, with each brand ranked solely on its net growth percentage during that time frame.
The top ten, what they sell and the recorded growth for each company are:
1 Pinter (home brewing) - 626% growth
2. Progress JJ (Jui Jitsu clothing) - 446%
3. Passenger Clothing (fashionable clothing for travel lovers) - 362%
4,Kick Game (sneakers and streetwear) - 353%
5 Wild Cosmetic (deodorant redefined) - 322%
6 Naturecan (CBD products) - 220%
7 Naturewall Group (slatted wood wall panels for homes) - 221%
8 Centre of Excellence (life changing e-learning) - 207%
9 Tradeprices Bathrooms (bathroom fittings at discounted trade prices) - 175%
10. Gym Plus Coffee (Quality hoodies for gym goers) - 169%
The full Lightning 50 list can be found here.
Brightpearl CEO Derek O’Carroll says: “When we consider the unpredictability and uncertainty of the last couple of years, from the pandemic, to the global supply chain crisis, through to the skyrocketing costs brought on by the Ukraine war, high rates of inflation and increased cost of living, it’s easy to paint a bleak picture for business.”
“There can be no doubt that there are many obstacles for retailers to overcome. However, many have risen to this, and now the results are in, we can see that some firms aren’t just showing resilience - they are absolutely thriving, despite the difficult circumstances.”
“When we look behind the data, there’s a combination of factors for that success, primarily driven by people and the innovative, data driven technologies they are using that allow them to react quickly to the challenges they face.”
“It’s fantastic to once again be able to celebrate and recognise the hard work that has gone into this growth, and I’d like to congratulate everyone who made it into the Lightning 50 list.”
Andrew Busby, a retail industry analyst in retail, comments: “The pandemic and subsequent lockdowns gave rise to a whole new genre of e-commerce entrepreneurs. What is interesting looking at the Brightpearl Lightning 50 is that the fastest growing e-commerce brands are not necessarily household names.”
“However, one thing characterises them, they know their market and their customer and they have a laser-like focus on delivering for them.”
“It’s brilliant but actually no real surprise that the UK now dominates e-commerce. The UK has been at the forefront of e-commerce innovation and growth and it doesn’t show any sign of letting up post-pandemic.”
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