Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Campari Group profits drop one third in Q2

Published: 28 July, 2020

The Campari Group has reported a 33.5% drop in net profit, down to €77.6m, across the second quarter of 2020, with sales down 11.3%, at €768.7m.

Friday read: Retail sales boom belies range stagnation

Published: 17 July, 2020

With supermarket wine sales soaring, buying strategies have altered dramatically, as Angela Mount reports.

Diageo claims first with ‘paper’ spirits bottle as part of new sustainability venture

Published: 13 July, 2020

Diageo has announced that it has created what it claims to be the world’s first 100% plastic free paper-based spirits bottle.

June delivers another bumper month for online BWS sales

Published: 09 July, 2020

Despite the reopening of bricks and mortar stores, online continued to surge through June, surpassing May’s figure by 3.5%, representing a 33.9% upswing year-on-year.

Shakedown looms for English and Welsh spirits

Published: 06 July, 2020

A restructure could be on the cards for the English and Welsh spirits sector, as pressure from an impending recession begins to squeeze brands at either end of the price spectrum. Jo Gilbert reports

Off-Piste Wines: Rewriting the rules

Published: 01 July, 2020

Covid-19 came at a tricky time for Off-Piste Wines, which was forging ahead with plans to put an £8m investment to good use this summer. Jo Gilbert caught up with MD Andy Talbot to find out what Plan B looks like for this forward-thinking business.

58 Gin claims UK first with gin-based hard seltzer

Published: 30 June, 2020

London-based artisan spirits distillery 58 Gin has launched what it claims to be the first gin-based hard seltzer in the UK.

Berkmann’s spirits arm adds CBD drinks

Published: 26 June, 2020

Spirit Cartel, the spirits arm of Berkmann Wine Cellars, has added CBD drinks brand Gibson’s Goodology to its premium spirits portfolio.

BBR confirms far reaching 'review' of troubled FMV

Published: 25 June, 2020

Berry Bros. & Rudd has confirmed that it is “reviewing” its Fields, Morris & Verdin (FMV) wholesale arm, with staff consultation ongoing, with the impact of the Covid-19 crisis almost certainly meaning that the business will not continue in its current shape or form.

BWS sales through grocers continue to boom

Published: 23 June, 2020

Alcohol sales through grocery stores continued to boom in the past four weeks, up 43% year-on-year, as the on-trade stayed shuttered.

Amazon online drinks boom sustained by ‘grey pound’

Published: 22 June, 2020

Driven by the lockdown to online purchasing, some 3.3 million UK shoppers bought drinks via Amazon for the first time, with older shoppers predicted to uphold the trend.

‘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.

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.

Heineken makes first foray into mixers with Double Dutch stake

Published: 12 June, 2020

The Heineken family has acquired a minority stake in UK premium tonic and mixer brand Double Dutch Drinks, marking its first foray into mixers.

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.

Gin best-selling online spirit during lockdown

Published: 10 June, 2020

Gin has been reported to be the best-selling spirit across online platforms during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Harpers Design Awards 2020 open for entries

Published: 08 June, 2020

Entries are now open for the Harpers Design Awards 2020.

Alcohol sales knocked by lockdown

Published: 08 June, 2020

Despite the marked shift from on-trade to home drinking, lockdown could still leave a sobering £7bn hole in total UK alcohol sales, as Andrew Catchpole reports.