Matthew Clark is a

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

-based

drink A drink or beverage is a liquid intended for human consumption. In addition to their basic function of satisfying thirst, drinks play important roles in human culture. Common types of drinks include plain drinking water, milk, juice, smoothies a ...

s distributor, owned by C&C Group. Founded in 1810, the business primarily serves

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

restaurant A restaurant is a business that prepares and serves food and drinks to customers. Meals are generally served and eaten on the premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services. Restaurants vary greatly in appearan ...

s, bars and

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

s within the mainland UK.

History

Matthew Clark, 1786-1868, founder of Matthew Clark & Sons

The company was formed in 1810 by Matthew Clark, the son of Charles Clark, Inspector General of Imported Liquors and Distillery at the

Port of London The Port of London is that part of the River Thames in England lying between Teddington Lock and the defined boundary (since 1968, a line drawn from Foulness Point in Essex via Gunfleet Old Lighthouse to Warden Point in Kent) with the North Sea ...

and later Merchants' Gauger of wines and spirits for the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

merchants. It was known for most of its history as a City of London wine and spirit importer called Matthew Clark and Sons. Six generations of the Clark/Gordon Clark family worked in it while it was an independent company. It was originally based in Great Tower Street, then from 1925 at 14 Trinity Square,

Tower Hill Tower Hill is the area surrounding the Tower of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is infamous for the public execution of high status prisoners from the late 14th to the mid 18th century. The execution site on the higher grou ...

, from 1956 at

Walbrook Walbrook is a City ward and a minor street in its vicinity. The ward is named after a river of the same name. The ward of Walbrook contains two of the City's most notable landmarks: the Bank of England and the Mansion House. The street runs ...

House, and from 1972 at the

Finsbury Finsbury is a district of Central London, forming the south-eastern part of the London Borough of Islington. It borders the City of London. The Manor of Finsbury is first recorded as ''Vinisbir'' (1231) and means "manor of a man called Finn ...

Distillery, the premises of the firm of that name, manufacturers of Stone's

Ginger wine Ginger wine is a fortified wine often made from a fermented blend of ginger, raisins, sugar and yeast, that is often fortified by being blended with brandy. It is one of the main ingredients of the Whisky Mac cocktail. Ginger wine originated in ...

, taken over in 1964. The Leeds-based firm of J. E. Mather, manufacturer of "Barchester British Wine", was taken over 1965-7. But the main business of the firm was that of representing foreign companies, principally from 1814 J. & F. Martell of Cognac, the great French brandy house, John DeKuyper & Son of

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"N ...

, manufacturers of gin, by 1827, and up to 1925 Pedro Domecq, the sherry producers of Jerez de la Frontera. The archives of the firm were deposited in the Guildhall Library and are now in the London Metropolitan Archives; they are of considerable interest for the history of the wine and spirit trade in the 19th and early 20th century. In 1990, after listing on the

London Stock Exchange London Stock Exchange (LSE) is a stock exchange in the City of London, England, United Kingdom. , the total market value of all companies trading on LSE was £3.9 trillion. Its current premises are situated in Paternoster Square close to St Pau ...

, the company began acquiring other drinks manufacturers and distributors, including: *Grants of St James's * Gaymer Cider Company * Taunton Cider Company *Freetraders *Dunn and Moore *Griersons In 1998, Matthew Clark plc was acquired by Constellation Brands Inc of the United States. In 2002, the company acquired Forth Wines. In 2007 Constellation sold a 50% stake to Punch Taverns. In 2010, the cider businesses were sold to C&C Group plc of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, leaving Matthew Clark as an alcohol wholesaler. In January 2011, Constellation Brands Inc divested 80% of its European business,

Constellation Europe Accolade Wines is an international wine business with headquarters in South Australia and corporate offices in Melbourne. It has been owned by The Carlyle Group, an American private equity company, since 2018. Accolade, which predominantly uses ...

, along with its sister company, Constellation Wines Australia, to Australian private equity company, CHAMP Private Equity. Subsequently, in 2011

and Constellation Wines Australia together became

Accolade Wines Accolade Wines is an international wine business with headquarters in South Australia and corporate offices in Melbourne. It has been owned by The Carlyle Group, an American private equity company, since 2018. Accolade, which predominantly uses ...

. In October 2015, Accolade Wines and Punch Taverns sold their respective 50% holdings to Conviviality plc in a £200 million deal. Matthew Clark operated within the 'Conviviality Direct' business unit which, along with the Bibendum brand, served over 23,000 outlets, consisting of national chains to independent food-led pubs and restaurants. In March 2018, Conviviality said it faced bankruptcy unless it could raise £125m, as it issued its third profits warning in a month. It failed to do so, and at the end of March, Conviviality announced its intention to appoint administrators within a fortnight, putting 2,600 jobs across the group at risk. Conviviality Direct, including Matthew Clark and Bibendum, was sold to C&C Group in April 2018 as part of a 'pre-pack' administration deal.

Operations

Matthew Clark is currently based in Bristol, where its Head Office is located. It has a sales force of over 230 employees deployed across the country. Matthew Clark offers a range of over 7,000 alcohol lines with next day delivery.

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Drink companies of England Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange Beer in England Wholesalers of the United Kingdom Food and drink companies established in 1810 Food and drink companies of the United Kingdom British companies established in 1810 1810 establishments in England