McEwan-Younger Ltd (export, naval and military trade : 1931- : Edinburgh, Scotland)

McEwan-Younger Ltd , Edinburgh, Scotland , was registered on 19 June 1931 to handle all military and naval contracts, and overseas business of William McEwan & Co Ltd , brewers, Edinburgh and William Younger & Co Ltd , brewers, Edinburgh. The two companies had earlier in the same year combined to form Scottish Brewers Ltd , Edinburgh.

William McEwan & Co Ltd had previously won a far greater share of the UK's export and military markets and this was recognised by the formation of this new company. Both breweries would provide their beer to the new sales company at cost, and 75 per cent of the profits made by McEwan-Younger Ltd would go to William McEwan & Co Ltd.

During and after the Second World War McEwan-Younger's overseas trade was far from satisfactory, and by 1955 they had to accept that its export markets might never fully recover. As a consequence the Abbey Brewery in Edinburgh, which had been working mainly for McEwan-Younger, was closed down by Scottish Brewers Ltd and turned into offices.

Little more is known about the company's history, but it was still in existence in 2002 as a non-trading company.

Sources: Keir, David . The Younger Centuries. The Story of William Younger & Co Ltd 1749 to 1949 ( Edinburgh: William Younger & Co Ltd, 1951 )

Ritchie, Berry . Good Company. The Story of Scottish & Newcastle ( London: James & James, 1999 )

From the guide to the Records of McEwan-Younger Ltd, export, naval and military trade, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1930s-1958, (Glasgow University Archive Services)