Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Majestic reverts back to traditional logo

Published: 02 September, 2020

Majestic has revealed it is reverting back to its traditional ‘bunch of grapes grape’ logo, which was used as the company’s identity between 1991 to 2018.

M&S job losses signal shift towards flexible working, online and food

Published: 18 August, 2020

M&S has announced it will cull 7,000 members of staff as the company shifts resources towards areas that are expanding, while decreasing resources in the home and clothing departments.

Registration closing soon on Loire Valley indies promotion

Published: 11 August, 2020

Registration is closing soon for the autumn Loire Valley independent wine merchant promotion, on which Harpers is partnering with Loire Valley Wines.

Friday read: Retail sales boom belies range stagnation

Published: 17 July, 2020

With supermarket wine sales soaring, buying strategies have altered dramatically, as Angela Mount reports.

Online BWS sales double during May

Published: 05 June, 2020

Online sales of beers, wines and spirits boomed during May, as the UK’s second month under lockdown drove a record numbers of thirsty consumers to embrace ecommerce.

Chile rising high

Published: 03 June, 2020

Consumers have come to expect value from Chilean wine, says James Lawrence, so how can they be encouraged to trade up?

The B2C shift: Driving it home

Published: 24 April, 2020

The coronavirus (Covid-19) has opened up a new world of B2C engagement for businesses offering a lifeline to consumers stuck inside their homes, as Jo Gilbert reports.

Polarisation in the drinks market

Published: 02 April, 2020

A new report revealed both mainstream and super-premium categories were growing pre-pandemic, while highlighting the opportunities for retailers. Lisa Riley looks at some of the trends that may re-emerge down the line.

Jascots calls out to retail and wholesalers in need of stock as it pivots away from on-trade

Published: 23 March, 2020

On-trade supplier Jascots Wine Merchants has announced it is switching its focus to home-delivery and wholesale retail after sales plummeted from 85% of ‘normal’ to zero in the space of four days.

Cambridge indies react to coronavirus uncertainty

Published: 20 March, 2020

Cambridge-based Chris Wilson gets on his bike for a taste of what it’s like for those at the sharp end of wine retail.

Friday Read: Wine ecommerce - learning from China

Published: 06 March, 2020

China has become the world leader in wine ecommerce and there is much we could learn, writes Emilie Steckenborn, founder of the Bottled in China Podcast.

Vivino faces legal challenge in Sweden

Published: 24 February, 2020

Vivino, the leading wine app is facing legal trouble in Sweden, the Times is reporting this morning.

The Whisky Exchange

Published: 18 February, 2020

THE WHISKY EXCHANGE

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.