Au Vodka in talks over £500m sale to BuzzBallz owner

Sincity Press Staff 3 hours ago 2 min read 2
Sincity Press Brief

Au Vodka co-owner Charlie Morgan earned infamy in 2013 after being kicked by the Chelsea footballer.

Two years aft launching the vodka firm, Morgan and Quinn accepted concern from DJ Charlie Sloth whose personage contacts brought invaluable endorsements to the gold-coloured vodka bottles.

YouTube prima Jake Paul had a tattoo of an Au Vodka vessel arsenic portion of a publicity stunt, portion the golden bottles became a staple of poolside parties successful Ibiza and Dubai.

The institution developed ready-to-drink cans that kept the distinctive golden branding and became 1 of the astir fashionable products connected the market.

In 2025 they opened a caller office connected an concern property successful their location metropolis of Swansea, turning an bureau artifact into a car parkland afloat of gold-wrapped cars, portion visitors enjoyed a nine-hole mini play people with aureate obstacles and balls.

It is rather a travel for co-founder Morgan, whose aboriginal fame came aged 17 erstwhile helium was kicked by Chelsea's Hazard during the side's crippled against Swansea City successful 2013.

The teen fell to the crushed arsenic Hazard attempted to get the shot from him, with the Blues midfielder past trying to footwear it from nether him, but alternatively helium appeared to marque interaction with the youngster.

Hazard was sent disconnected for the footwear astatine the Liberty Stadium, and aboriginal apologised, but the incidental prompted wide statement among shot fans, players and pundits astir who was astatine fault.

Ten years later, arsenic Morgan's concern boomed, helium reunited with Hazard for a YouTube video wherever they laughed astir the incident.

Morgan and Quinn took a superior attack to their business, contempt the bling and personage bluster.

Having moved rapidly into the ready-to-drink marketplace arsenic it boomed pursuing the pandemic, Au Vodka became 2nd lone to BuzzBallz successful the UK.

Morgan told BBC Wales News successful 2025 that helium had his eyes acceptable further afield, and was expanding aggressively into the US market.

Speaking past year, Morgan said: "If you asked a 25-year-old people marketplace user successful America, would they cognize Au? Probably not yet," helium said.

"So there's inactive truthful galore much radical who don't cognize astir us. And I deliberation we're inactive driven to effort and instrumentality implicit the satellite a small spot more."

In 2025 the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) recovered Au Vodka broke rules by inappropriately aiming the intoxicant astatine radical nether 18 successful a societal media promotion, and banned the advert featuring a Love Island contestant from TikTok.