Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Cointreau steps up Drinks Trust support

Published: 22 June, 2020

Cointreau has teamed up with a London floral designer to launch a fundraising initiative in support of The Drinks Trust.

Pre-registration and ordering apps considered for on-trade reopening

Published: 22 June, 2020

On-trade visitors may have to register before going to pub, bars and restaurants, health secretary Matt Hancock has suggested.

On-trade groups take initiative on reopening

Published: 22 June, 2020

Many UK pub, restaurant and café operators have set a 4 July reopening in motion despite there still being no announcement from government confirming either the date or possible easing of the 2 metre rule.

Research confirms protracted on-trade recovery

Published: 22 June, 2020

A new survey of UK Hospitality (UKH) members has confirmed that hospitality businesses are expecting a lengthy and painful recovery, with levels of trade expected to be significantly supressed for many months to come.

‘Distancing’ most important to on-trade guests post-lockdown

Published: 19 June, 2020

Having social distancing measures in place has been revealed to be the key concern for consumers when they return to the on-trade post-lockdown, according to new research released by Hallgarten & Novum Wines today.

Pernod Ricard unveils on-trade reopening guide

Published: 18 June, 2020

Pernod Ricard UK has published a ‘Back to work in the new normal’ guide to help the hospitality industry prepare to reopen.

AA launches ‘Covid-19 Confident’ scheme to reassure customers

Published: 18 June, 2020

The AA has launches a Covid-19 Confident accreditation scheme for hospitality businesses that have put risk assessments and safety measures in place.

Bordeaux Wine Month opens up annual promo to on-trade

Published: 17 June, 2020

Bordeaux Wine Month will be back for its third annual outing this autumn, once again inviting the trade to have a shot at promoting the best from France’s flagship region.

Westminster City Council outlines reopening strategy for hospitality

Published: 17 June, 2020

Westminster City Council has outlined the measures it plans to implement in order to help hospitality businesses continue trading while social distancing remains in place.

Matthew Clark pitches on-trade with account-free ‘guest checkout’ on ecommerce platform

Published: 17 June, 2020

Matthew Clark has opened out its ecommerce platform to enable new on-trade customers to order up to £1,500 without opening an account or requiring a minimum order.

Johnson urges continued patience in relation to reduction of 2 metre rule

Published: 16 June, 2020

Taking tonights briefing, PM Boris Johnson asked the hospitlity sector to remain patient in relation to reducing the 2 metre social distancing rule as the on-trade struggles to plan ahead of the mooted reopening on 4 July.

On-trade calls grow in urgency for clarity on reopening

Published: 16 June, 2020

As the tough balancing act between protecting health and promoting the economy dominates national debate, UK on-trade operators are becoming increasingly vocal on the need for government clarity ahead of reopening.

Volume uplift in US off-trade offsets on-trade sales drop

Published: 16 June, 2020

US wine volume sales look set to be flat in 2020 with the Covid-19 led surge in off-trade sales balancing out the drop in on-trade sales, according to new Wine Intelligence research.

UK Hospitality urges government to confirm reopening date

Published: 16 June, 2020

UK Hospitality has urged the government to confirm a reopening date for hospitality to enable the on-trade to prepare for it properly.

Raab says ‘review’ to be completed within “coming weeks”

Published: 15 June, 2020

Foreign secretary Dominic Raab has said the government expects the next Covid-19 review, including if the 2 metre social distancing rule will be reduced, to be completed “within the coming weeks”.

Flint adds Aubert Wines

Published: 15 June, 2020

Flint Wines has been appointed as the first official UK agent for California’s Aubert Wines.

Hospitality responsible for a quarter of Britain’s GDP drop

Published: 15 June, 2020

Britain’s hospitality sector was responsible for nearly a quarter of the GDP losses felt by UK business in April, according to the latest UK Hospitality tracker.

Sunak confirms “urgent comprehensive review” of 2 metre rule

Published: 15 June, 2020

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has confirmed PM Boris Johnson has ordered a “comprehensive review” on the 2 metre social distancing rule.

MPs publish government recommendations to help re-start businesses

Published: 11 June, 2020

A cross-party group of MPs has delivered a number of recommendations outlining how governments across the UK can best support businesses in restarting and rebuilding after the Covid-19 crisis in a new report.

Friday Read: George Sandbach of the Oxford wine dynasty talks shop during shutdown

Published: 11 June, 2020

George Sandbach of Sandy’s Piano Bar talks to Andrew Catchpole about adapting to lockdown, selling quality booze out the back door, the thorny problem of rent and launching an accessible podcast series.