The Growth Foundation takes over Premium RTD cocktail brand NIO Cocktails

Premium RTD cocktail brand NIO Cocktails, one of the leading innovators in spirits eCommerce, has today announced its new ownership and operational structure, aiming to strengthen its leading position in direct-to-consumer sales and to unlock future growth. Specialist eCommerce consultant The Growth Foundation (TGF) has invested in NIO and will take over leadership of the brand from founders Luca Quagliano and Alessandro Palmarin. TGF will utilise their experience in recruitment and scaling eCommerce brands and operations to expand and support the NIO team as they seek to grow their leading position in direct-to-consumer cocktails.

Known for its distinctive letterbox-friendly and lightweight packaging, NIO launched in Italy in 2017 and in the UK in 2019 and has built a leading position in eCommerce of cocktails in both countries. NIO has grown its direct-to-consumer business alongside partnering with other online retailers and has become a leading supplier to luxury hotels, airlines, travel outlets and retailers. NIO’s recent collaborations have included Acqua di Parma, GQ, San Pellegrino and Perrier, and co-branded cocktails with spirits brands Singleton, Teeling, Cointreau and Portofino.

Under the restructure, founders Luca Quagliano and Alessandro Palmarin will relinquish their Co-CEO roles and continue to support NIO through the leadership transition and then continue as ambassadors for the brand. They commented:

“We’re so proud to have grown NIO from an idea in our house to a company with its own state-of-the-art production facility, over 50 employees and direct-to-consumer operations in UK, Italy and Germany, and distribution in many export markets. After the success of launching such an innovative new product, now is the time for NIO to take the next steps in achieving its ambition of becoming the leading premium ready-to-drink cocktail brand around the world, and The Growth Foundation are the perfect partners to do this.”

The Growth Foundation was established by Richard Chapple and Sarah Jasper-Baker in 2021. With backgrounds at Play.com, Gymshark and The Hut Group, they bring a combined 40 years of eCommerce experience to TGF. Investing in NIO and taking over leadership of the company represents an exciting new development for TGF, which will continue to operate its consultancy and recruitment businesses.

Richard Chapple commented: “Currently spirits under-index in eCommerce, and there is a huge opportunity to grow that performance. NIO is perfectly positioned to lead this with its innovative, sophisticated packaging overcoming the challenges of delivering heavy glass bottles that hold eCommerce back. We’re excited to be leading this next phase of NIO’s development.”

NIO Cocktails

NIO Cocktails was founded in Milan in 2017 by Luca Quagliano and Alessandro Palmarin. It launched in the UK in December 2019 and now runs direct eCommerce operations in UK, Italy and Germany. NIO’s distinctive packaging is stylish, lightweight, low carbon (vs equivalent glass formats) and perfect for eCommerce. NIO offers a range of cocktails made with premium spirits, crafted in Italy by renowned Italian bartender Patrick Pistolesi (Drink Kong, #21 in The World’s 50 Best Bars). NIO has a dedicated production site in Milan to mix and package its cocktails. https://niococktails.co.uk

The Growth Foundation

The Growth Foundation (TGF Group Ltd) are eCommerce growth specialists. Founded in 2021 by Richard Chapple and Sarah Jasper-Baker (Play.com, Gymshark, The Hut Group), in a few short years, it has itself grown into a 25+ strong team of experts with deep experience and pattern-recognition in all the crucial foundations of growing a business; from brand and marketing to operations to people. Whether the challenge is boosting your growth, growing into new areas, or spotting the potential for growth, The Growth Foundation work with fast-growing scale ups and established multi-nationals, to help businesses from a range of sectors avoid the pitfalls and seize the opportunities. Providing invaluable strategic guidance and hands-on tactical support, The Growth Foundation make growth manageable, sustainable, profitable and enjoyable; the right way to grow. https://www.thegrowth.foundation/

Source: NIO Cocktails