Forfar is facing the disastrous news one of its most famous names and decades of history could be lost.
It comes as Irn Bru makers A G Barr announced it is axing the Strathmore Water brand.
The decision puts more than 20 jobs at the West High Street plant under threat.
Barr says Strathmore is “no longer sustainable”, almost two decades after its £15 million purchase of Strathmore Spring Water.
Strathmore name was known globally
At its peak, Strathmore was Scotland’s big-hitter in the multi-million-pound bottled water market.
It put the likes of Perrier in the shade when it came to popularity with bar drinkers, where it was the UK’s number one in 1999.
And only Evian sold more on grocery store shelves.
More than 50 million litres left the Forfar plant and a storage facility at Ballindarg, west of the town.
Alongside still and sparkling spring water, Strathmore also produced a range of flavoured varieties.
The company became synonymous as the bottled water supplier for major sporting events and Scotland’s elite athletes.
Those included the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and 2017 London World Athletics Championships.
For Rio 2016, it unveiled swimmer Ross Murdoch, track cyclist Katie Archibald and wheelchair racer Samantha Kinghorn as brand ambassadors for ‘the water at the heart of Scottish sport’.
And five years ago it donated 250,000 bottles of water to the NHS Louisa Jordan pandemic hospital at Glasgow SECC.
Strathmore spring source of business success
A 1,000ft well in the heart of Forfar has fed the firm’s success.
But decades before bottled water came into fashion, the Angus aquifer was quenching the thirst of locals.
The former Strathmore Springs plant was responsible for names such as Lamb’s Lemonade.
It was also famed for Ferguzade from the 1950s. The fizzy glucose formula aped cellophane-wrapped Lucozade in the earliest days of the energy drinks war.
Ferguzade started off being made by Dundee chemist John Ferguson on a limited scale at his Hilltown shop. He then partnered with the Forfar firm to increase production.
And in 1983, the firm’s Gluctoza was the official energy drink behind Dundee United’s charge to the Premier League title.
Locals react to A G Barr announcement
Forfar SNP councillor Linda Clark, the Provost of Angus, said: “Very sad to hear of this news.
“Any long-term and well-established business considering an operational closure is a real worry for it will impact on the communities around it.
“However, most importantly in this scenario is the workforce, some of whom may live very locally.
“My very best wishes go to them.
“I hope any measure to avoid the closure of the Barr/Strathmore Water brand has, or will be, investigated.”
Fellow town councillor Lynne Devine added: “This certainly is a blow to Forfar, especially when Strathmore Water has been such an institution in the town for many years.
“I am sure that there will be support available for the staff who will lose their jobs, but it is nevertheless a shock for them and I really feel for them.”
Some locals said the parent firm had not done enough to promote the brand.
“Would help if they got promoted more. A G Barr seems to be all about Irn Bru and nothing else,” said one comment on The Courier Facebook page.
Other social media comments revealed locals would be sorry to see the name disappear.
“It’s such an iconic brand,” said one. “Maybe a buyer could step in as it’s always lovely seeing the Strathmore name outwith the town.
“Not good for those at risk of losing their jobs.”
Another local added: “Always on the cards from the time that Barrs bought it.
“So sad, has been a part of the local business scene as far back as I can remember, Lamb’s lemonade and Ferguzade.”
“The irony is that everywhere I go, whether travelling personally or for business, in the UK or abroad, Strathmore water is for sale or provided as refreshment,” commented another.
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