Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Online BWS sales double during May

Published: 05 June, 2020

Online sales of beers, wines and spirits boomed during May, as the UK’s second month under lockdown drove a record numbers of thirsty consumers to embrace ecommerce.

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.

McKeon parts with Accolade

Published: 04 May, 2020

Accolade Wines has confirmed that Ade McKeon, the company’s regional MD for Europe, will be leaving the company.

Online BWS sales soar 78%

Published: 29 April, 2020

Online sales of beers, wines and spirits (BWS) surged 78% in the last four weeks making it the fastest growing grocery category in terms of sales.

Retail alcohol sales surge 31%

Published: 24 April, 2020

Alcohol sales in UK retailers surged 31.4% in volume terms in March, well ahead of overall supermarket sales which rose 10.3% during the month, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Off-trade alcohol sales surge 29% over the Easter weekend

Published: 20 April, 2020

Off-trade sales of alcohol surged 29% over the bank holiday weekend although overall Brits spent £160m less on Easter than in 2019.

Festive sales boost British on-trade

Published: 15 January, 2020

The festive season brought cheer for Brtiain’s on-trade, with like-for-like sales up 2.5% on the same six-week period in 2018, according to data from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has dramatically expanded its board to help meet the challenges of a fast-changing trading environment, adding five new members to take the board’s total membership to 16.

Wines and spirits instrumental in creating the future’s “creative community hubs”

Published: 07 November, 2019

Wine and spirits stores will be at the forefront of community bonding over the next decade, as retail finds new and inventive ways of keeping customers coming back for more.

Co-op unveils wines for Christmas

Published: 08 October, 2019

Co-op has added 25 new wines to its range in the run-up to Christmas.

Majestic sale confirmed

Published: 02 August, 2019

The sale of Majestic Wine to US private equity firm Fortress has been confirmed.

The week that was

Published: 10 May, 2019

In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, here’s a review of the top online news, analysis, opinion and features.

Online BWS sales grow ahead of market

Published: 24 April, 2019

The beer, wine and spirits (BWS) category recorded 9.6% growth in online sales last month compared to March 2018.

Shift from shop to showroom is vital for the future of retail, says Majestic CEO

Published: 27 March, 2019

The chief executive of the newly rebranded Naked Wines has defended the decision to trim down its 200-store estate while shifting investment focus to the online side of the business.

BWS enjoys strong festive build up as general grocery sales slump

Published: 08 January, 2019

Shoppers visited supermarkets more often in the run up to Christmas, but sales slumped to half the level of growth returned last year, according to Nielsen.

Q&A: Robert Cooke, beers, wines & spirits director, Tesco

Published: 15 November, 2018

Buoyed by October’s encouraging interim results, Tesco is heading into the festive season with a hand in the on-trade for the first time, thanks to its merger with cash-and-carry group Booker. Jo Gilbert speaks to BWS director Robert Cooke about what the deal means for alcoholic drinks sales at the UK’s biggest grocer

Waitrose introduces 100 new lines to bolster premium position

Published: 12 October, 2018

“Functional booze is not our game. We need to tell a story,” says Pierpaolo Petrassi, head of buying, beers, wines and spirits at Waitrose.

Royal Wedding and hot weather boost online BWS sales

Published: 03 August, 2018

Online sales of beer, wines and spirits were up 27.3% YoY in March 2018, new data has revealed.

Molson Coors chases the buzz with joint marijuana venture

Published: 02 August, 2018

Molson Coors is the latest mega-brewer to announce plans to make hybrid beverages with one of Canada’s leading cannabis producers, further signalling the march of smoke products into the alcoholic sector.

Schaafsma says major Oz distribution deal makes Broadland "relevant" for the future

Published: 11 December, 2017

Broadland Wineries is aiming to become a one-stop shop for antipodean wines thanks to a new major distribution deal which will see them partner with Australia’s biggest bulk wine supplier.