Row over company name endangers delivery of £10 million hotel and retail development in Tomatin
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
Tomatin Distillery bosses are claiming that Tomatin Trading Company is taking unfair advantage of its reputation.
The issue over use of the geograhical location within the firm's name has now reached the Court of Session in Edinburgh, a move Tomatin Trading Company managing director William Frame says has already cost his business £40,000.
He said: “It was a real shock when, in March, I spotted the sheriff’s officers walking into my office to hand me papers.
“We registered that name some months before and so it came as a complete shock to me and my team that Tomatin Distillery had a major issue with that.
“Our name reflects our geographic location in the village of Tomatin.
“We invested in our brand name and started to create some brand recognition. It was only when we went to register the trademark of the brand that the distillery started objecting – some eight months after launching our development.
“Sadly it is now in the court of session. We have tried to be very solution-orientated as I believe, as neighbours of the distiller, we should get on with one another.
“I always envisaged that Tomatin and their various malts would be represented as our house whiskies, we would be trading in harmony with each other and their visitor numbers would increase.
“The development is also very important for the Tomatin area, because there is no pub so we would be able to offer a good craft lager or a nice glass of wine or a nice lunch as well as an overnight stay in our Highland Holiday Inn Express.”
Stephen Bremner, the managing director of Tomatin Distillery, said: “As engaged members of our local community we wholeheartedly welcome and support this or any development that is going to benefit the area.
“We do, however, object to the development’s proposed branding, which, we believe, takes unfair advantage of our reputation and we have repeatedly asked Mr Frame to reconsider.
“Tomatin Distillery has a rich heritage spanning many generations.
“We firmly believe we must protect our valuable brand, which is inherently associated with our distillery and our whisky as a result of over 120 years of dedicated craftsmanship.”
On the site of the former Freeburn Hotel and Little Chef restaurant, the development was granted planning permission by Highland Council in November last year.
It has been expected to create more than 100 jobs across various different planned elements including a 99-bedroom hotel, farm shop and 200-seater restaurant as well as a drive-through bakery and food outlet, four additional retail units and a fuel filling station.
Mr Frame has owned the site since 2005 and previously said the development would provide an opportunity for “showcasing the best of the region”.
