THE proud Scottish heritage of Irn-Bru manufacturer AG Barr will ensure the location of its corporate base, after its merger with English-based rival Britvic, is a hot topic.
This heritage was highlighted yesterday by Alan Waddell, former chairman of Glasgow stockbroker Speirs & Jeffrey.
He talked about how, when the Glasgow economy was flourishing in decades past with foundries and shipyards, people would go to work with "wur ginger" (from AG Barr).
This was crucial for them to replenish the water lost in these hot industrial environments.
He added that Glaswegians could still be seen "going to work buying wur ginger".
Mr Waddell, while praising AG Barr's board and employees for their achievements, cited anxiety in Scotland that there might be "significant interference" from the south after the Britvic deal.
It is not yet clear how the deal will pan out from a Scottish perspective. The legal headquarters and registered office of the enlarged Barr Britvic Soft Drinks will be at Cumbernauld in North Lanarkshire, to which AG Barr moved its base from its historic home in Glasgow's east end.
But the operational headquarters will be at Britvic's head office in Hertfordshire. The worry is Hertfordshire may end up being the location from which the company is actually run. This would be a great pity, given AG Barr's heritage and the fact it has been the driving force behind the deal.
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