Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Kingsland Drinks to acquire Bottle Green Limited

Published: 30 April, 2015

Kingsland Drinks yesterday agreed to purchase Bottle Green Limited from DCC Food & Beverage UK Limited for an undisclosed sum.

EU Parliament backs mandatory calorie labelling proposal

Published: 30 April, 2015

Yesterday members of the European Parliament voted to table a proposal that by the end of 2016 all alcoholic drinks have calorie content labels.

Absolut vodka to modernise its iconic bottle

Published: 29 April, 2015

Absolut is making design changes to its iconic bottle that helped make the brand famous in 1979, "making it ready to face the future."

XPO Logistics acquisition of Norbert Dentressangle could benefit wine importers

Published: 29 April, 2015

XPO Logistics is to acquire Norbert Dentressangle, a leading global provider of contract logistics, freight brokerage and transportation services in a move that could benefit UK wine importers through improved customer service and the availability of a broader logistic network.

Gusbourne Plc sales surge 56% in 2014, but posted a £1m loss for the year

Published: 29 April, 2015

English wine company Gusbourne Plc sales surged 56% for the financial year 2014, but because of expansion investments the company also reported a net loss of over £1m for the same period.

UK GDP slumps to a 3 year low, signalling potential trouble ahead for retailers

Published: 28 April, 2015

The UK's economy grew at its slowest pace in three years, expanding just 0.3% in for the first quarter of the year.

LWF 2015 to host record-breaking 150 UK businesses and offer over 100 programme seminars

Published: 28 April, 2015

London Wine Fair 2015 is set to to host over 150 UK wine businesses and offer more than 100 presentations across the three day fair.

American whiskey category sees 19% value growth in the UK according to Nielsen

Published: 28 April, 2015

American Whiskey is now worth £190m in the UK and saw growth last year of 19% according to Nielsen's most recent beer, wines and spirits data.

McWilliam's Wines Group launches Evans & Tate' s Expressions range in the UK

Published: 27 April, 2015

The McWilliam's Wines Group is launching a new wine range called Expressions under its Australian Evans & Tate brand at London Wine Fair 2015.

Renaissance Pubs changes its name to Three Cheers Pubs

Published: 27 April, 2015

Independent London pub group Renaissance Pubs has renamed itself the Three Cheers Pubs today following a trademark dispute.

Plumpton College launches first UK wine business degree

Published: 24 April, 2015

Plumpton College is launching the first wine business honours degree in the UK.

Chief of the Week: Ian Harris and the WSET

Published: 24 April, 2015

We raise a glass to The Wine & Spirit Education Trust and chief executive Ian Harris today for all the work that they have been doing over the decades to educate both those in the trade and consumers about wine.

Retail figures slump compared to February, but still up for the year

Published: 24 April, 2015

Retail sale slumped 0.5% last month, according to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics - but sales are still up 4.2% on the same time last year.

Pernod Ricard's third quarter results shows sales improving

Published: 23 April, 2015

Sales are improving at Pernod Ricard according to its third quarter financial results, reporting a 2% increase in organic sales to €6.5b and a 6% rise in reported growth for the first 9 months of the financial year.

Portobello Road Gin launches new limited edition

Published: 23 April, 2015

Artisan gin brand Portobello Road gin is to launch a new limited edition gin, after seeing strong growth and growing international demand.

English Wine Project set to open a new bottling plant in the Midlands

Published: 22 April, 2015

The English Wine Project, a winemaking consultancy firm and producer of its own range of wines, is set to open a beer and wine bottling plant in Derby in mid-June.

Tesco 2015 results report a £6.4 billion loss

Published: 22 April, 2015

Tesco has reported the worst annual financial results in the retailer's 96 year history, showing a loss of £6.376bn and underlying profit before tax fall just over 70% for the year.

González Byass releases Tio Pepe En Rama 2015 in the UK

Published: 21 April, 2015

Tio Pepe En Rama 2015, a limited edition unfiltered and unclarified fino sherry which is part of the González Byass portfolio, is set to be released at the end of April in the UK.

Laphroaig to release limited edition 200th anniversary commemorative whisky

Published: 21 April, 2015

In celebration of Laphroaig's 200th anniversary the iconic Islay single malt scotch maker will be releasing a limited edition 15 year old.

WSET to receive The Queen's Award for 2015

Published: 21 April, 2015

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust today announced it is set to receive The Queen's Award for Enterprise 2015 in international trade at a reception on the 14 July, 2015 held at the Buckingham Palace.