Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

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.

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.

‘Compressed’ Bordeaux 2019 EP campaign sees prices 30% lower

Published: 11 June, 2020

As Bordeaux’s top estates continue to trickle their 2019 releases onto the market, prices are typically 15-30% down on 2018, with around two thirds of prices now declared.

Johnston Logistics reports eight-fold hike in alcohol throughput

Published: 09 June, 2020

Bonded warehousing and logistic experts Johnston Logistics has reported an eight-fold increase in its average throughput of wine and other alcohol during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Downey proposes revised 12-month rent free plan to chancellor

Published: 09 June, 2020

Hospitality Union founder Jonathan Downey has written a second letter to the chancellor Rishi Sunak with a new proposal for a national time out rent deal.

‘Save summer six’ ministers press for 22 June on-trade reopening

Published: 08 June, 2020

Boris Johnson is understood to be close to agreement with a group of senior ministers to look at reopening the hospitality sector on 22 June.

Food & accommodation sectors have largest proportion furloughed

Published: 05 June, 2020

The extent to which lockdown has impacted on the UK hospitality sector has been thrown into sharp relief by the latest ONS (Office for National Statistics) figures.

Ed Miliband advocates targeted extension of furlough

Published: 05 June, 2020

Ed Miliband MP has shown his support for a targeted extension of the JRS in an interview this morning on BBC 4 Radio’s Today show.

Order-from-table mobile app gains traction

Published: 04 June, 2020

As the on-trade gears up to begin a safe reopening on 4 July, mobile ordering app OrderPay has signed up several more high street names looking to meet social distancing requirements.

Alcohol sales knocked back until 2022

Published: 04 June, 2020

Despite the shift from on-trade to home drinking, lockdown could still leave a sobering £7bn hole in UK alcohol sales this year.

Locked down Brits hitting the gin boosts Fever-Tree

Published: 04 June, 2020

Fever-tree has reported a strong performance for its premium mixers across the off-trade boosted by locked down Brits hitting gin.

Online uplands: scaling the new heights

Published: 22 May, 2020

Moving to online sales has saved more than one drinks retailer in recent weeks and all the signs point to the model continuing, finds Andrew Catchpole.

On-trade operators should plan ‘relaunch', not ‘reopening’, ahead of 4 July

Published: 21 May, 2020

On-trade operators should “step away from emotion”, challenging themselves to think back to when they started their businesses and consider it a relaunch, not a reopening, when they once again open their doors.

NPD: All systems… pause

Published: 18 May, 2020

The global pandemic and changing consumer behaviour that accompanies it have presented myriad challenges when it comes to NPD, as Lisa Riley reports

Living with Lockdown – Daniel Lambert Wines

Published: 14 May, 2020

Agent-importer Daniel Lambert talks to Andrew Catchpole about bypassing critics and trade with live access to winemakers, the dangers of having all eggs in one basket and why its boom time for indies.

Diageo’s Learning for Life hospitality programme takes virtual turn

Published: 13 May, 2020

Diageo’s Learning for Life hospitality skills programme has created a Virtual Hospitality Academy, aimed at bar and restaurant staff seeking to develop their “key skills” in the sector during the pandemic.

Tim Atkin MW: A taste of things to come?

Published: 07 May, 2020

Everyone seems to have advice about how to get through lockdown. Even if we’re all still sitting here in December, our diaries emptier than your local Wetherspoons, I can’t imagine the well-meaning guidance changing much. Eat healthily, exercise, take up a new hobby, read a book, tidy your cupboards, call your friends and family, order food online.

Future of wine labels is in reflecting the drinker, says Cox

Published: 27 April, 2020

A shift from traditional appellation-based, heritage and winery-focused labels to those that are “more about the market” will be hastened in the wake of the pandemic if wine is to compete with rivals drinks categories.

Generics respond to the pandemic: Wines of South Africa

Published: 23 April, 2020

In the fifth of our series on responses by the generics to the Covid-19 pandemic, Andrew Catchpole talks to Jo Wehring, gin aficionado and UK market manager, WoSA.