Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Quintessential adds two to senior team

Published: 11 February, 2020

International spirits producer Quintessential Brands has strengthened its management team with two senior hires.

Everything we know about the DRS so far – and what you should too

Published: 09 January, 2020

A major new scheme aimed specifically at boosting recycling rates and combating littering for bottled drinks is due to arrive in Scotland in 2021 and the rest of the UK soon after. So what do we know so far?

What we can learn from the Majestic/Naked 'experiment'

Published: 16 December, 2019

The matchmakers behind the Majestic and Naked Wines merger speak to Jo Gilbert about why the ‘experiment’ didn’t work, and why the demand for niche products is driving wine businesses to double down on their specialisms

Naked/Majestic consumer-bases were a bad ‘fit’

Published: 13 December, 2019

The matchmakers behind the Majestic and Naked Wines merger have said that the ‘experiment’ was doomed to fail because of the inherent differences between the two sets of customers, and because of increasing consumer preference towards companies that have a unique USP.

Wholesale: the last piece of the indie jigsaw

Published: 21 October, 2019

Indie wholesale is on the rise, tapping into a retail ethos of knowledge, service and quality product, writes Andrew Catchpole

On-trade shrugs off Brexit gloom

Published: 14 October, 2019

Like-for-like sales in the on-trade rose 1.2% in September, according to the latest data from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Serving up sustainability

Published: 21 August, 2019

Sustainability encompasses myriad aspects of business and production. These range from the big-ticket environmental and carbon-emission concerns – seeking to mitigate and adapt in the face of now-rapid climate change – to the socio-economic, whereby workers and employees are offered a fairer deal, including aspects of pay, work conditions, education and advancement.

UK overtakes Spain as biggest market for Brockmans Gin

Published: 05 July, 2019

Gin continues to boom for Brockmans here in the UK, which is now the brand’s top market thanks to a recent push into the supermarkets.

BRC records worst footfall figures in six years

Published: 10 June, 2019

Shops across Britain suffered their steepest fall in customer visits in six years in the past month, with footfall plummeting as declines were recorded in every region, according to the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

Online BWS sales grow ahead of market

Published: 24 April, 2019

The beer, wine and spirits (BWS) category recorded 9.6% growth in online sales last month compared to March 2018.

Independents prepare to fill the gap left by Majestic

Published: 11 April, 2019

The Majestic brand has taken a bullet and is soon to be haemorrhaging stores – prompting businesses to reconsider their position on the high street.

Shift from shop to showroom is vital for the future of retail, says Majestic CEO

Published: 27 March, 2019

The chief executive of the newly rebranded Naked Wines has defended the decision to trim down its 200-store estate while shifting investment focus to the online side of the business.

Smartphones dominate as online retail sales hits new high

Published: 05 March, 2019

In the fast evolving online retail market, sales via smartphone have overtaken both desktop and tablet, and at a time when online grocery retail has reached a new high of £8 billion in the UK.

Jerry Lockspeiser: What we can learn from Cristiano Ronaldo

Published: 13 December, 2018

Not long before Black Friday Cristiano Ronaldo was reported to have spent £27,000 on two bottles of wine at a restaurant in London’s upmarket Mayfair district – a bottle of Richebourg Grand Cru Burgundy and Chateau Petrus from Bordeaux. Apparently, Cristiano and his friends were there for little more than 15 minutes.

Suppliers “operate in a climate of fear” warns FDF in Asda-Sainsbury’s probe

Published: 14 November, 2018

“Suppliers effectively operate in a climate of fear as Sainsbury’s and Asda act as gatekeepers to the market”, the Food and Drinks Federation (FDF) has said in the latest round of consultations on the proposed supermarket merger.