Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Entries for Harpers Awards extended by a week to March 6

Published: 26 February, 2015

The deadline to enter the 2015 Harpers Awards has been extended by a weeek to March 6 to alllow extra time for the trade to collate their entries.

Brazil wine sales quadruple on back of strong multiple support

Published: 26 February, 2015

Brazilian wine sales in the UK have more than quadrupled over the last year following strong support from multiple retailers.

Major trade figures urge whole industry to act now and back the Drop the Duty campaign

Published: 26 February, 2015

Senior trade figures are rallying around the Drop the Duty campaign and urging everyone in the sector to play their part and lobby their MP to call on the Chancellor to cut alcohol duty rates by 2% in the March Budget.

Conviviality Retail signs franchise deal for GT stores to push its c-store off-licence model

Published: 26 February, 2015

Conviviality Retail has signed a 10-year franchise agreement with award winning East Anglian-based convenience retailer, Jonathan James to run 35 franchise stores.

March for Indies: 10 ways to boost sales and business through Twitter

Published: 25 February, 2015

Twittter is no longer just a way to communicate, keep in touch and build your audience, it can also really help to drive sales and bring new and existing customers to your business.

Independent wine merchants urged to appeal soaring business rates in hardest hit areas

Published: 24 February, 2015

Independent wine merchants and high street retailers are being urged to appeal soaring business rates before a March 31 deadline that will set new rates until 2017.

SITT tastings for independents come to Manchester and London

Published: 23 February, 2015

Independent wine merchants are flocking to Manchester's Old Trafford today for the start of the Specialist Independent Trade Tasting (SITT).

March for Independents: Action Week 4 offers data and insights to help drive profits

Published: 23 February, 2015

As we enter the final Action Week of the March for the Independents campaign we turn the spotlight on the market trends, insights and data that will help independent wine merchants ensure they have the rights wines and spirits on shelf at the right price.

One week to go to enter the Harpers Awards 2015

Published: 20 February, 2015

The clock is ticking but there is still time to get your entries in for the Harpers Awards 2015.

March for Independents: 13 ways for retailers to keep on top of business law

Published: 20 February, 2015

Stephen Forward of the independent wine merchant business, Essentially Wine, gives a personal insight into how retailers like himself get on top of all the small business regulation.

March for Independents: new online and EU labelling regulations for merchants

Published: 18 February, 2015

There is a whole raft of legislation that retailers need to be on top to make sure they are on top what are termed as "distance sales", wine lawyer Andrew Park advises.

March for Independents: keep on top of waste packaging and avoid big fines

Published: 17 February, 2015

Today as part of the March for the Independents campaign we turn the spotlight on waste packaging. Not the most glamorous of topics but if you are an independent wine merchant, importing or distributing wine then you need to make sure you are compliant with your recycling oblilgations or risk potentially crippling fines.

UK wine industry backs calls for alcohol duty cut

Published: 16 February, 2015

The UK's growing wine industry has called for the Chancellor to cut the high rate of alcohol duty rate by 2% in the upcoming Budget.

March for Independents campaign keeps merchants on right side of the law

Published: 16 February, 2015

Today Harpers starts its third Action Week initiative as part of its March for the Independents campaign with a focus on helping merchants keep on top of the latest changes in business, employment and drinks legislation.

March for Independents campaign keeps merchants on right side of the law

Published: 16 February, 2015

Today Harpers starts its third Action Week initiative as part of its March for the Independents campaign with a focus on helping merchants keep on top of the latest changes in business, employment and drinks legislation.

MPs back Drop the Duty campaign by taking trade's duty call to the Chancellor

Published: 11 February, 2015

MPs across the country are starting to respond to independent wine merchants and members of the wider wine and spirits industry who have contacted them through the Drop the Duty campaign calling on them to lobby the Chancellor for a 2% duty cut in the March Budget.

French bag-in-box only retailer BiBoViNo seeks UK franchisees

Published: 10 February, 2015

French bag-in-box only wine retailer BiBoViNo is actively seeking UK franchisees to expand its 10-strong estate internationally.

Red Squirrel Wines behind new trade initiative to promote Bulgarian wines

Published: 10 February, 2015

Independent wine merchant, Red Squirrel Wines, is behind a new initiative to put the spotlight on wines from Bulgaria with four days of events in March including a trade tasting at the Bulgarian Embassy on March 18.

Cambridge Wine's Hal Wilson urges independents to lobby their MP for duty cut

Published: 10 February, 2015

Following yesterday's call by Harpers to independent wine merchants to play their part in the industry wide campaign to convince the Chancellor to issue a duty cut on wine and spirits in his March Budget, leading independent Hal Wilson of Cambridge Wine Merchants today explains why he has personally lobbied his local MP, the Liberal Democrat Julian Huppert, and urges other merchants to do the same.

Action Week 2: Call to indies to lobby local MP and media for a Drop in Duty

Published: 09 February, 2015

Harpers is today calling on independent wine merchants across the UK to lobby both their MP and local media to back the Drop the Duty campaign and help raise the profile of their business on this key business issue.