Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Top wine brands choose Vente Privee as new route to market

Published: 13 November, 2014

Top name wine producers are using flash sales site Vente Privée to attract new consumers to their brands in the UK.

Arbikie, Scotland's newest farm-to-bottle distillery, kicks off with potato vodka

Published: 13 November, 2014

A super-premium Scottish potato vodka is to be the first spirit produced by Arbikie, Scotland's newest farm-to-bottle distillery.

Casella set to buy Peter Lehmann Wines

Published: 13 November, 2014

Two major players of the Australian wine world are to come together as Casella Family Brands, owners of Yellow Tail, plans to buy Peter Lehmann Wines.

Tesco bolsters wine team as it looks to improve quality and customer focus

Published: 12 November, 2014

Tesco has boosted its wine team with the addition of an assistant buyer and quality manager.

Conviviality Retail to expand into Scotland

Published: 12 November, 2014

Conviviality Retail, owner of the Bargain Booze and Wine Rack brands, has revealed plans to expand into Scotland with its half-yearly trading update broadly in line with last year.

London on-trade sees October sales up 4.1%

Published: 12 November, 2014

London bar and restaurant chains have seen like for like sales up 4.1% in October, while outside the capital managed operators are ramping up new site openings.

Kingland's journey from a contract packer to full-service wine supplier

Published: 12 November, 2014

In recent years Kingsland has grown from a contract packer into a full-service wine supplier and its worked hard in last 20 years to reposition itself.

Oddbins chief slams Majestic's supplier demands as 'morally repugnant'

Published: 11 November, 2014

Oddbins boss Ayo Akintola has ended 25 years of cordial relations with rival retailer Majestic in a hard-hitting comment for Harpers.co.uk in which he accuses the firm of "morally repugnant" and "shabby" behaviour after it called on suppliers to fund a new warehouse.

Amathus opens fourth London store in Shoreditch

Published: 11 November, 2014

Drinks distributor and retailer Amathus is opening a fourth London store, this time in Shoreditch, after buying the City Beverage Company business.

Bordeaux's fine wine market ripe for recovery, says Liv-ex chief

Published: 11 November, 2014

Four years of falling prices have brought the Bordeaux market to its "lowest ebb since the early 1970s", meaning now is a good time to enter the market.

Ten things you need to know about Bibendum PLB

Published: 11 November, 2014

It's been billed as one of the biggest deals of the century, but what do you need to know about the Bibendum takeover of PLB and what it means for the trade?

TescoGate Analysis: Tesco woes go from bad to worse

Published: 11 November, 2014

The cat is still well and truly among the pigeons at Tesco. Following its £263 million profits overstatement, suspension of head wine honcho Dan Jago, along with seven other senior executives, and the current investigation by the Serious Fraud Office, every little has not helped.

London's property market 'brutal' for expanding wine independents

Published: 10 November, 2014

London's independent wine merchants and restaurateurs say finding new locations is "extremely challenging", given intense competition from established operators.

Lidl best value supermarket for wine, says new app

Published: 10 November, 2014

Lidl is the UK's best supermarket for wine when it comes to value - according to an 18-month study tasting over 4,000 wines carried out by the Wotwine app.

Christmas Report: why wine has reasons to be merry

Published: 10 November, 2014

It's that time again. With more than a third of wine sales coming through in the 12 weeks of Christmas, the trade is nervously checking the weather forecast and gauging the mood among consumers as shoppers prepare to fill their stockings, writes Gemma McKenna.

Kingsland goes from strength to strength

Published: 07 November, 2014

In recent years Kingsland has grown from a contract packer into a full-service wine supplier. Gemma McKenna investigates its rise

Major wine brands see double digit growth, says Mintel

Published: 07 November, 2014

Hardys, Lindeman's, Kumala and Casillero del Diablo have all posted double-digit value growth in a flat market, according to the latest wine report from Mintel.

TescoGate will be major test for Groceries Code warns government chief

Published: 07 November, 2014

The head of the government's business select committee has written to the Groceries Code Adjudicator about how Tesco practices may have infringed the "spirit" of the Code and what action is being taken.

Wine value growth to slow in next five years, says Mintel

Published: 07 November, 2014

Wine's value growth, up to now bolstered by duty and price increases, is likely to slow in the next five years as consumer concerns over costs, alcohol and sugar content grow.