Our History
BWG Group was originally part of the Brooks Watson Group before being acquired by Irish Distillers in the 1980s. The BWG Group was acquired from the French drinks company Pernod Ricard in August 2002 following a management buy-out, which was supported by Electra Partners, the London based venture capital company. In October 2006, Triode Investments Limited, a company controlled by Leo Crawford, John Clohisey and John O’Donnell completed the purchase of BWG Group from Electra. In 2014, The SPAR Group Limited (SPAR South Africa) invested in a joint venture with the BWG management team to acquire the BWG Group of companies. The SPAR Group is a leading publicly quoted wholesaler and distributor to over 1,800 independent retailers spread across Southern Africa. The joint venture was owned 80% by SPAR South Africa and 20% by Leo Crawford, John Clohisey and John O’Donnell until 2021 when The SPAR Group (South Africa) assumed 100% control. BWG is very much recognised for innovation in food retailing and the company has won many prestigious local and international industry awards.