Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Moët Hennessy and Campari enter joint venture

Published: 13 July, 2021

Moët Hennessy and Campari Group have announced the formation of a 50/50 joint venture with the purpose of investing in wines and spirits ecommerce companies.

William Grant gives bartenders a boost with 'Unwrapped'

Published: 12 July, 2021

Spirits distiller William Grant & Sons has launched a new series of digital masterclasses aimed at providing the hospitality industry with insights, inspiration and key skills as the industry prepares for the next stage of lockdown easing.

Hawksbill and Caskshare prepare for World Rum Day

Published: 08 July, 2021

The great and the good of the rum world are gearing up for World Rum Day, taking place this Saturday 10 July in order to spread word of rum, which was named by the WSTA as the most loved cocktail spirit during 2020’s first lockdown.

Positive thinking

Published: 07 July, 2021

While the past year has been extremely challenging for alcohol, there’s cause for optimism when it comes to recovery. Lisa Riley crunches IWSR numbers.

BWS online sales hold up ‘remarkably well’

Published: 14 June, 2021

Online beer, wine and spirits (BWS) sales rose 7.5% in May, bucking the downward trend recorded across the majority of FMCG categories.

LWF: Wine yet to see accelerated demand for no/low

Published: 19 May, 2021

Wine has yet to see an accelerated demand for the no/low alcohol space unlike spirts and beer, which have both gathered pace in recent years.

Pandemic boosts Argentinian and rosé wine sales

Published: 17 May, 2021

Argentinian wine and rosé were two of the alcoholic beverages which saw a “remarkable uplift” in retail sales during lockdowns and restrictions in 2020, according to the latest WSTA Market Report.

Alcohol exports plummet

Published: 05 May, 2021

Alcohol exports from the UK to the EU were in free fall for the first couple of months of this year, hit by the perfect storm of Brexit at the beginning of the year alongside Covid lockdowns across Europe continuing to shatter the on-trade, newly released data has revealed.

Long Read: Gin's return as a sophisticated mature version of itself

Published: 29 April, 2021

Brits have welcomed the resurgence of gin with gusto, and while the market has been inundated with brands, flavours, colours, styles, bottle designs and fashionable labels, we’re now seeing a desire for classic, original, well-made gins – a return to gin, as it should be.  

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.

Countdown to Think Gin digital day

Published: 13 April, 2021

The countdown is on for this year’s Think Gin digital day hosted by Harpers Wine & Spirit and Drinks Retailing News, and promising a full and exciting programme of content dedicated to the popular spirit.

Online BWS sales slump

Published: 13 April, 2021

Year on year online beer, wines and spirits (BWS) sales slumped 6.7% in March, making it the only category online to record negative growth, according to IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index.

Second crowdfunding campaign for East London Liquor Co

Published: 12 April, 2021

East London Liquor Co has launched its second crowdfund campaign in a bid to raise £750k to accelerate expansion plans.

Berry Bros adds British rum Scratch to portfolio

Published: 12 April, 2021

Berry Bros & Rudd has added Patience aged rum from Hertfordshire distillery Scratch to its portfolio, marking the merchant’s first British rum listing.

Spirits vs Wine: Rolling with the times

Published: 12 April, 2021

Definitive figures from Kantar show just how much shopping habits changed in 2020, with spirits overtaking wine in baskets for the first time and online reaching hitherto unmatched heights, as Jo Gilbert discovers.

Changing market forces push ‘more modern’ whisky breed to the front

Published: 06 April, 2021

Changing market forces are pushing a new, more modern breed of whisky to the forefront, with the evolving category landscape encouraging producers to innovate, according to new IWSR research.

Spirits overtake wine in shopping baskets

Published: 01 April, 2021

Spirits reached a major milestone in 2020, overtaking wine to become the largest category in terms of penetration in the off-trade for the first time in at least five years.

Jeroboams launches first exclusive spirit

Published: 30 March, 2021

London wine merchant Jeroboams has launched its very first exclusive spirit, a WhistlePig Single Barrel 10-Year-Old Rye Whiskey.

BWS sales growth slows on lockdown anniversary

Published: 30 March, 2021

Alcohol sales continued to grow in March in the grocery sector boosted by lockdown but this is likely to change as the on-trade reopens, Kantar has predicted.