A familiar face in the licensed trade for over 30 years, new SLTA chairman Jim Grierson needs little introduction. Karen Peattie hears his story
IF Jim Grierson thought that retirement meant kicking off his shoes and taking it easy he was wrong.
The former sales director of Maxxium UK, who retired in summer 2016 after an illustrious career in the licensed trade spanning three decades, has now been appointed chairman of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association.
“It’s a role that carries with it a lot of responsibility and I was quite surprised to be asked to take it on,” says Jim. “However, there was a voting process and I am both delighted and honoured to be SLTA chairman.
“I love the licensed trade so to be involved at this level at such an important phase in the evolution of the SLTA is a privilege and a challenge that I relish.”
Since retiring almost two years ago, Jim has been assisting The Ben as a visitor and also working in a non-paid consultancy capacity, advising mainly ex-colleagues launching new business ideas in the on-trade.
“I started getting approached by a few people who wanted my opinion on their ideas and I’m more than happy to give them the benefit of my experience because I like helping people and I want to see good ideas develop and come to fruition,” he explains.
“There are a lot of people with very creative ideas and I can tell them how the industry works and give them contacts – it’s very rewarding and I think if you’re in a position to give something back to the industry then it’s important that you do.”
Jim’s first job, however, wasn’t in the licensed trade. At the tender age of 18 he joined a biscuit company as a trainee salesman. “I got on rather well and after six months I was given the Borders to cover and it all progressed from there,” he recalls.
“A guy called Ian Green trained me and showed me the ropes – I have a lot to thank him for,” says Jim. “I was promoted to cover the Scottish co-ops which was a big deal because there were so many societies back then.”
Jim’s next job was with Gillette. “I was approached at a trade show and it was a great move for my career,” he continues. “I became a key account manager then an area manager for Scotland then national sales manager running a big team. I was asked to move to London and we had four amazing years down there.”
But Jim was ready to return to Scotland. “I got a phone call from a friend one Sunday telling me that there was job going for a national sales manager at Matthew Gloag,” he recalls. “My wife loved it down south but I hadn’t settled so well so I thought it sounded like a great opportunity.”
Two “very short” interviews later and Jim was back home, tasked with building up a national sales force for Gloag’s. “I just clicked with the industry – it was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he says.
“The company evolved, I grew with the company and it was absolutely brilliant,” Jim continues. “It wasn’t without its challenges though there were obviously major changes in the industry along the way, including Matthew Gloag – Highland Distillers becoming part of the Edrington Group.
“But it was the formation of Diageo in 1997 that made us realise that we needed to arm ourselves in order to compete and develop our brands – that was the thinking behind the creation of Maxxium Global.”
Jim would be at Maxxium UK for 18 years, working with a host of “wonderful brands” – including, of course, The Famous Grouse.
And like Maxxium, where Jim’s responsibilities and achievements included overseeing the company’s route-to-market accounts, national field sales, team events and sponsorship and developing MIXXIT, its training and education programme, the SLTA has also evolved.
“When I joined Matthew Gloag,” Jim recalls, “the SLTA chairman of the year was Matthew Gloag so I was aware of the association from the offset. I then had the honour of being SLTA chairman of the year myself from 2009 to 2011.
“Over the years I’ve attended all the SLTA conferences, listened to some robust debates about the issues of the day and met some great people.”
Jim points to the STLA’s current strategy of collaborating with other trade associations and organisations. “There are times when a collective voice is stronger than one voice and I remember when I was chairman of the year meeting VisitScotland with the then SLTA president, Angus MacDonald, Paul Waterson and Colin Wilkinson,” he says.
“That meeting kick-started a great relationship between the SLTA and VisitScotland and in the intervening years we’ve collaborated with others to get our message across and represent the industry.”
Another major step change for the SLTA, says Jim, has been its reinvention as a business with robust financial controls and clear strategies in place. “We’ve established a very powerful voice for the industry by running the association as a business and bringing a high-quality group of people on board,” he continues.
“When you look at the trade today there are a number of very switched-on people running amazing businesses,” says Jim. “These people, these entrepreneurs, have great vision for the industry so the SLTA needs to be relevant to them and we’ve made good strides in this respect by engaging with the Scottish Bartenders Network.
“My career has been all about delivery and results, and making changes for the right reasons so I’m taking that ethos to the role of SLTA chairman,” Jim continues. “We must be resourceful and determined – the team have ensured that we have very sound foundations on which to build and push forward our objectives.”
As chairman, Jim will ensure that the SLTA continues to enhance its profile and improve skills within an industry that is now a very broad-ranging one.
“We’re in a strong position but there are a number of challenges ahead,” he points out. “Rates, deposit return, VAT on tourism, portion control out of home (OOH) – there are always new challenges to face but we have the armoury to face them.
“Collaboration is the way forward as we already know and, in the longer term, we must strive to be seen to be the industry leaders.”