Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Last call for 50 Best Indies 2021 nominations

Published: 13 May, 2021

The chance to nominate your choices for the best in the business of indie drinks retailing remains open until midnight on Friday 14 May.

Indies: Shaken, not stirred

Published: 26 April, 2021

The pandemic has been a “wake-up call” for the industry, a panel of leading merchants told audience members told Jo Gilbert at our Think Insights retailing sector briefing, as businesses face stock and other challenges to meet soaring spirits sales.

Bringing it All Together at SME business advice summit

Published: 22 April, 2021

Many SMEs have had it particularly tough during the pandemic, with small and medium-sized businesses less likely than their larger rivals to have access to the resources to help guide them through.

Drinks Wholesaler Spotlight 2021 – our business survey

Published: 19 April, 2021

Given the immense disruption of the past year, we’re morphing our annual Top Wholesaler list into a 2021 showcase for the innovation, adaptation and support seen from companies across this all important sector.

One in four venues reopen for first week of outdoor service

Published: 19 April, 2021

Just under a quarter of England’s licensed premises have opened for trade in hospitality’s first week back for outdoor-only service, with pubs in particular capitalising on wider access to beer gardens, patios and other outdoor areas.

Year of shuttered restaurants and bars has left hospitality ‘shattered’

Published: 22 March, 2021

In the year since the first hospitality shutdown, the sector has taken a battering with more than eight months of closure delivering a heavy blow.

Register now: Think Insights 2021 – Spirits

Published: 22 March, 2021

There is still time to register for Harpers Think Insights 2021 – Spirits event, which takes place across the day on Wednesday 24 March, featuring many leading voices from the spirits, hospitality and indie worlds.

Think Insights day to deliver spirited agenda on drinks sector

Published: 15 March, 2021

Harpers and Drinks Retailing News readers are invited to join us for our Think Insights 2021 day of spirit-focused events on Wednesday 24 March.

Scottish food and drink wholesalers to receive £5m resilience fund

Published: 07 December, 2020

A new Scottish Wholesale Food and Drink Resilience Fund has been established by the Scottish government to help wholesalers affected by Covid-19 restrictions to cover fixed costs for a six-month period from October 2020.

New UK immigration system goes live

Published: 01 December, 2020

The UK’s new points-based post-Brexit immigration system is now operational.

Second national lockdown a "calamity" for hospitality without more govt support

Published: 02 November, 2020

There are deep concerns across the hospitality sector about the impact of the government’s latest lockdown measures for England which were announced on Saturday evening by the prime minister.

New Covid clampdowns wreck hospitality recovery

Published: 05 October, 2020

The introduction of new government restrictions to tackle the Covid-19 crisis has wreaked havoc on the nascent recovery in the UK’s hospitality industry, acording to the latest survey from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

EOHO helps pull down inflation but sector still at risk of 'bloodbath'

Published: 16 September, 2020

The success of the government’s Eat Out to Help Out scheme in August helped push the UK inflation rate to a five-year low, according to data from the ONS.

Quarter of licensed premises remain closed as ‘rule of six’ rolls out nationwide

Published: 14 September, 2020

Nearly a quarter of Britain’s licensed premises were still to reopen at the end of August, with the London market particularly slow to recover, new data has shown.

Portman Group launches pandemic blog series

Published: 07 September, 2020

The Portman Group is launching a new bi-weekly blog to examine how the drinks sector is confronting the responsibilities and challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic.

UK hospitality takes a £30bn tumble

Published: 28 July, 2020

The closure of the hospitality industry between April to June left a £30bn hole in the British economy, it has emerged.

Hospitality needs customers if it's to stop going hungry

Published: 28 July, 2020

The hospitality sector is beginning to reopen, but it needs many more customers if its future is to be secured. By Andrew Catchpole

Staff shifts still down 69% across the UK

Published: 24 July, 2020

The challenge facing the hospitality sector has been reiterated by new figures which show that shifts worked by employees are still down 68.9% across the UK.

“Kickstart scheme” for young people to lift up hospitality sector

Published: 08 July, 2020

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has revealed plans to subsidise work placements for young people in a move that is believed to be aimed at stimulating the hospitality and tourism industries while tackling unemployment post-Covid.

Shakedown looms for English and Welsh spirits

Published: 06 July, 2020

A restructure could be on the cards for the English and Welsh spirits sector, as pressure from an impending recession begins to squeeze brands at either end of the price spectrum. Jo Gilbert reports