Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

UK spirits exports face huge strain

Published: 13 October, 2020

The UK’s burgeoning spirits industry has taken a hit, with exports significantly down in the first half of 2020.

Number of licensed premises trading down 25,000

Published: 12 October, 2020

The number of licensed premises trading across Britain is down by nearly 25,000 on March levels as openings stall, according to the latest Market Recovery Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners.

Westminster City Council extends alfresco dining scheme

Published: 29 September, 2020

Westminster City Council has extended the measures it implemented in early summer to help hospitality businesses continue trading until the end of October.

On-trade visits to drop sharply following new restrictions

Published: 28 September, 2020

Consumers will significantly reduce their visits to pubs, bars and restaurants in the light of the new government restrictions introduced last Thursday, according to new CGA research.

Trade bodies urge govt to provide more targeted support

Published: 24 September, 2020

Trade bodies have urged the government to provide more sector targeted support following Chancellor Sunak Rishi announcement of the Winter Economy Plan earlier today.

Quarter of businesses think they will fail by end of year

Published: 24 September, 2020

Almost a quarter (23%) of hospitality businesses think their businesses will fail by the end of the year without further government support.

Rebranded Halewood opens vodka plant in Russia

Published: 08 September, 2020

Halewood Wines & Spirits, which is to rebrand as Halewood Artisanal Spirits, has opened a new vodka distillery in the Russian city of St Petersburg.

Jerry Lockspeiser: What happens next?

Published: 26 August, 2020

One of the many reasons people like working in the wine trade is the sense of common bond. Trade outsiders may doubt how friendly people who are direct competitors can really be. But they often are. People can’t help liking and respecting each other. The bonhomie that wine engenders helps, as does admiration for the labour, love, and sheer dedication of those who make the stuff. From producers to distributors, retailers, and communicators, an unstated feeling of shared mission is in the air. Now, too, the trenches spirit that comes with having backs against the wall.

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.

Q&A: Emily Roux, co-owner, Caractère

Published: 18 August, 2020

The youngest scion of the Roux clan talks to Jo Gilbert about family expectations, restaurant no-shows and how to avoid divorce when working (and living) with your significant other during a pandemic

Covid-19 takes the fizz out of the UK sparkling market

Published: 12 August, 2020

The loss of celebratory drinking occasions has put the breaks on an already slowing thirst for sparkling wine in the UK, new research has revealed.

Pubs lead uneven on-trade reopening

Published: 10 August, 2020

The on-trade still has a long way to go before it is fully re-opened as Covid-19 lockdown restrictions ease, according to new research.

Premium spirits to defy Covid pressures

Published: 05 August, 2020

Premium-and-above spirits are forecasted to increase their global volume market share to 13% by 2024 as consumers continue to search for “authenticity and status”, according to the IWSR.

Big debate: How Covid-19 will prove a catalyst for change

Published: 30 July, 2020

Leading suppliers joined Andrew Catchpole in our recent Harnessing the Crisis for Change webinar to look at how Covid-19 will shape the road ahead.

Government to pay £1,000 “bonus" for every employee brought back from furlough

Published: 08 July, 2020

The government has announced a Job Retention Bonus to support furloughed employees and businesses back into work.

Major brands “reallocating” funds away from on-trade into e-commerce and DTC

Published: 02 July, 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic is facilitating a long-term shift among many of the world’s leading drinks brands’ strategies, it has been suggested, as owners begin to adopt a more “nuanced” approach to channel distribution.

Drinks Trust wellness services now live

Published: 01 June, 2020

The new range of mental health support services for members of the trade from the Drinks Trust have now been launched.

How low can we all go?

Published: 29 May, 2020

As lockdown continues and consumers settle into new ways of life, will the nolo category get more of a look in? Lisa Riley reports

Jerry Lockspeiser: When the only certainty is uncertainty

Published: 28 May, 2020

As I sat down to write this piece my phone rang. It was Nick, a winemaker and one of my oldest friends. We have been close since the early 1990s when he gambled his career on joining my incipient wine business. Its subsequent success was in no small part down to him.

Champagne Academy launches emergency financial fund for The Drinks Trust

Published: 28 May, 2020

The Champagne Academy has announced the launch of a range of fundraising initiatives to help support The Drinks Trust and its beneficiaries through these turbulent times.