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Copestick Murray strengthens overall team as Rachel Archer moves to Off Piste Wines

Published:  30 June, 2014

Copestick Murray has announced a number of staff changes that sees it strengthen its national accounts, sales and marketing teams, but at the same time it has lost I Heart brand manager, Rachel Archer, who is taking up a new role at Off Piste Wines.

Copestick Murray has announced a number of staff changes that sees it strengthen its national accounts, sales and marketing teams, but at the same time it has lost I Heart brand manager, Rachel Archer, who is taking up a new role at Off Piste Wines. 

The UK wine agency and distributor, which is now 60% owned by German sparkling wine comany, Henkell & Co, continues to grow the business with widening distribution for its I Heart wine brand and is set to introduce the Mionetto Prosecco brand, from Henkell, in to the UK this summer. 

To help with its expansion Copestick Murray has taken on Matthew Johnson, from Halewood International, as national account manager who will work across customers including Direct Wines and Majestic Wines.

Shane Mc Nally joins as sales support manager from O'Briens in Ireland and will initially work with the national account delivery team. Copestick Murray has also strengthened its design, PR and marketing team by taking on Jodie Kale from the design agency Barlow Doherty as PR, marketing assisitant and graphic designer. It will give the business an in house graphic design function and help with its growing new product development workload.

It will also be looking to find someone to replace Rachel Archer to look after its I Heart Brand who is moving to Off Piste Wines to help with its growing new product development plans.

Robin Copestick, managing director of Copestick Muarry, said of Archer's departure: "Unfortunately I have to announce that after nearly eight years at Copestick Murray, Rachel Archer has decided to leave us. Rachel has been a great friend and valuable member of the team. Her work with the I Heart brand has been brilliant but she leaves an excellent opportunity for someone to take over that work. We are currently recruiting for her position and also a new salesperson in the on-trade and independent team."

I Heart wine range

He said its overall recruitment drive was in step with the growth in business following its link up with Henkell & Co. He added:  "The first 10 months of working alongside Henkell & Co. have helped us continue our growth plans. As a result we had a need for a larger sales force and also support team. This is a truly exciting time to be at Copestick Murray and I am delighted about our current results and really optimistic about the future."

When Archer joins Off Piste Wines she will be responsible for all aspects of NPD, an area the company is keen to develop as part of its overall business growth strategy

Jerry Lockspeiser, chairman of Off Piste Wines, told Harpers.co.uk: "Four years ago our agency with Yellow Tail had just ended after a period of huge growth. It left a big gap in our business but has turned out to be a blessing in disguise. We have been building a solid base of agency brands, customer own label and Off Piste brands across our key customer accounts ever since. We have achieved significant growth in this time without having a dedicated new product development manager. It became clear it was high time we did.

"Rachel will be responsible for all aspects of NPD within our business, working closely with our sales team and our sourcing director Clem Yates to maximise opportunities and innovation. Her experience in developing the I Heart brand is of great relevance to our aspirations and her knowledge of the market sector we operate in is invaluable."

Paul Letheren, joint managing director of Off Piste Wines, added: "Rachel was head and shoulders above the other candidates for the post. Her experience of building wine brands that everyday consumers find engaging and inspiring is just what we need for the next stage of our growth. We are a small team and always seek to appoint first class people who can take responsibility for their area. As NPD and brand champion I can't wait to have her on board."

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