Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Indigo founder Ben Henshaw unveils new delivery platform

Published: 28 October, 2020

Indigo Wines director Ben Henshaw has unveiled a new wine delivery platform promising to bring accessible modern fine wines to UK households.

Medium and smaller brands take lead over private label

Published: 21 October, 2020

Private label sales are down across almost all European countries, with mid-sized brands and smaller companies performing best.

Supermarket BWS sales up 17%

Published: 13 October, 2020

Sales of beer, wine and spirits (BWS) through supermarkets increased 17% in the four weeks to 3 October, meaning the category remained the fastest growing, according to new Nielsen research.

Bordeaux takes trade briefing online

Published: 06 October, 2020

Bordeaux Wines UK has become the latest marketing body to move its activities online.

New Zealand tastings go virtual

Published: 05 October, 2020

New Zealand Winegrowers (NZW) is to move its annual London and Dublin January tastings online.

31 Days of German Riesling winners bring ingenuity to the fore

Published: 09 September, 2020

This year’s winners of the annual 31 Days of German Riesling competition has put a spotlight on just how much businesses have adapted during the pandemic, using often imaginative ways to bring German Riesling to a wider audience.

Jerry Lockspeiser: What happens next?

Published: 26 August, 2020

One of the many reasons people like working in the wine trade is the sense of common bond. Trade outsiders may doubt how friendly people who are direct competitors can really be. But they often are. People can’t help liking and respecting each other. The bonhomie that wine engenders helps, as does admiration for the labour, love, and sheer dedication of those who make the stuff. From producers to distributors, retailers, and communicators, an unstated feeling of shared mission is in the air. Now, too, the trenches spirit that comes with having backs against the wall.

Graft bolsters Australia and South African portfolios as it gears up for digital tasting

Published: 24 August, 2020

Graft Wine, last year’s merger of Red Squirrel and The Knotted Vine, is gearing up for a bumper month of activity in September, with two Southern Hemisphere additions joining the company as it takes its autumn tasting online.

Wine online jumps 238% at Waitrose

Published: 20 August, 2020

Waitrose had reported a significant boost to its online wine sales as consumers take advantage of a “wider selection” of wine online during lockdown.

WSTA lines up former Greene King CEO for online summit

Published: 20 August, 2020

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has revealed Rooney Anand, former CEO of brewer and pub company Greene King, as the keynote speaker of its upcoming 2020 Industry Summit.

M&S job losses signal shift towards flexible working, online and food

Published: 18 August, 2020

M&S has announced it will cull 7,000 members of staff as the company shifts resources towards areas that are expanding, while decreasing resources in the home and clothing departments.

Enotria & Coe bolstered by £6m investment

Published: 10 August, 2020

Leading on-trade supplier Enotria & Coe has received a major new investment.

Retaining the online bonanza

Published: 04 August, 2020

With life returning to a version of normality, independents that gained extra sales are now once more facing their old competitors. Lisa Riley finds out how they are coping

New Majestic stores spearhead post-lockdown growth plans

Published: 29 July, 2020

Majestic Wine has confirmed the opening of new stores in Henley and Beckenham later this year as part of a five-year growth strategy aimed at increasing sales by 10%.

Eat Out to Help Out postcode checker launches alongside guidance for businesses

Published: 28 July, 2020

The government has released new guidance for businesses on the Eat Out to Help Out Scheme, which will enable bars and restaurants to claim back customer-facing discounts from 7 August.

Sandia Chang launches one stop e-shop for grower Champagne

Published: 24 July, 2020

Sandia Chang, the renowned California-born sommelier and founder of Fitzrovia’s hotdogs and Champagne joint in is taking her love of growers Champagne online which the launch of a new e-shop.

Naked Wines reports 81% sales surge during lockdown

Published: 24 June, 2020

Naked Wines has reported an 81% surge in sales during April and May, making up the first two months of fiscal 2021.

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.

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.