DON’T JEOPARDISE OUR £12 MILLION DEVELOPMENT WITH A NAME SQUABBLE SAYS TOMATIN TRADING COMPANY
- “We are your neighbours and should be working together to bring jobs & investment to this hugely strategic area”
With the name of his proposed £12 million development having encountered an objection from the local Tomatin Distillery, entrepreneur William Frame of The Tomatin Trading Company is fighting back to make his point to the Distillery management that they need to connect with the Scottish business community, as well as local Councillors in the area, and cannot claim sole right to the place name, Tomatin.
Mr Frame, who plans to create a 99 bedroom hotel and 200 seater restaurant at the Tomatin junction on the A9, was extremely disappointed to receive an objection from the Tomatin Distillery on him planning to call the proposed development, The Tomatin Trading Company.
Exception has been taken to them selling Tomatin Jam or referring to Tomatin Café on staff aprons. Tomatin Distillery Managing Director, Stephen Bremner has since said that while the distillery “wholeheartedly welcomes and supports this or any development that is going to benefit the area,” they object to the proposed branding which, they believe, “takes unfair advantage of our reputation”.
The development, which is set to bring more than 50 permanent jobs to the local area, also includes four retail units, a fuel filling station and farm shop. Despite occupying a superb location for tourists and visitors between Aviemore and Inverness, the site at Tomatin, which previously housed a hotel, and latterly a café and filling station, had lain unused over a decade.
With full planning having been achieved, Mr Frame was planning a spring start to construction work on site, and was in the midst of seeking additional business investment when the bombshell struck from the century old, Japanese-owned Tomatin Distillery.
“It is a huge disappointment to say the least, to find that this issue has now been taken to Scotland’s supreme civil court, the Court of Session,” said William Frame, who runs Braemore Estates in Crieff. “We have kept the Distillery fully informed of our plans from the very start, and had planned to have their whiskies as a showcase in our retail shop and bar.”
“I feel this should wholeheartedly be about helping and promoting the local community, promoting the village of Tomatin, giving young people jobs that are sustainable and getting young people back into the Highlands,” said William. “There is no attempt or intention to associate ourselves with the Distillery, and no-one I have spoken to considers that there would be any confusion about this.”
“As it seems extremely anti free enterprise, and counter-productive, I have sought opinion through various networks. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. No Company can exclusively own the rights to a geographical place name.”
William explained that he had already invested heavily in his brand’s distinct identity, not foreseeing any issue with referencing the location of the development.
“Numerous businesses in the past here have referenced the name Tomatin, such as the Tomatin Petrol Filling Station, and The Tomatin Little Chef,” he said, “Indeed, the Tomatin Estate itself was there long before the Distillery was established, and originally sold them the ground. There was also the Tomatin Railway Station which closed in the 1960s, but the local people in the area are now trying to get it reopened. I do wonder if the Distillery would challenge its name? I very much doubt it.”
“If this development was in Aviemore or Inverness I don’t think there would be a problem naming the Trading Company after the Town.” added William.
The development received no public objections during last year’s planning process.
“The local community council backed the development 100%, and, of course the name simply reflects the location,” said William.
Local Highland councillor Duncan Macpherson is in favour of the development, and does not wish to see it jeopardised.
“There’s so many jobs riding on this £12m development, at least one hundred in the first construction phase, and then permanent jobs afterwards. The mix of both full-time and part-time jobs is ideal for local people, and would make a huge difference to the local Strathdearn and Tomatin economy,” he said.
Mr Frame concluded : “We can only hope that the Distillery re-assess the public mood and talks to us constructively to come up with a solution which enables us to continue to use the name The Tomatin Trading Company.”
https://www.tomatintrading.co.uk
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