Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Trade reels from Welsh trading restrictions

Published: 01 December, 2020

The drinks trade has reacted angrily to the Welsh government’s new restrictions on pubs and restaurants, announced yesterday.

PM promises u-turn on support for hospitality trade

Published: 30 November, 2020

Boris Johnson is set to offer more support to pubs and restaurants, the Daily Telegraph is reporting.

Calls for government to set out budgetary plans and provide businesses with certainty

Published: 24 November, 2020

The lack of certainty on key budgetary announcements is creating untenable instability for businesses, leading tax and advisory firm Blick Rothenberg has said, adding calls for the government to announce full budgetary plans sooner rather than later.

Supply chains a priority post-Covid, research finds

Published: 24 November, 2020

Reconfiguring supply chains will be a key objective for businesses as they emerge from the Covid-19 crisis, a new study from the Capgemini Research Institute has revealed.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Can we plan for the unknown?

Published: 23 November, 2020

“The problem with the world is that the intelligent people are full of doubts, while the stupid ones are full of confidence.” Charles Bukowski

Soapbox: Southern bias leaves a bitter taste

Published: 17 November, 2020

After enduring three months of local restrictions with little help, Sara Saunby, owner of Manchester hybrid Salut, says Whitehall’s belated decision to help the North is too little, too late

Furlough scheme extended to March

Published: 05 November, 2020

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced that the government’s Job Retention Scheme, better known as the furlough scheme, will be extended until the end of March 2021, with government once again paying 80% of wages up to £2,500 to see businesses through a second wave of Covid-19 infections.

South Yorkshire follows Manchester into Tier 3

Published: 21 October, 2020

South Yorkshire has officially joined Manchester in the highest bracket of Covid measures, meaning bars and restaurants not serving seated meals will close.

Kate Nicholls, CEO, UK Hospitality

Published: 14 September, 2020

With hospitality one of the hardest hit sectors in the wake of the pandemic, the head of the leading trade organisation has no end of crucial issues to deal with. Kate Nicholls talks strategy to Lisa Riley

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.

London Cocktail Week readies for 2020

Published: 22 July, 2020

London Cocktail Week, the world’s biggest city-wide cocktail festival, will go ahead this year, its organisers have announced.

Government to pay £1,000 “bonus" for every employee brought back from furlough

Published: 08 July, 2020

The government has announced a Job Retention Bonus to support furloughed employees and businesses back into work.

Industry gives cautious welcome to furlough scheme changes

Published: 01 June, 2020

The UK drinks trade has welcomed the extension of the government’s furlough scheme for UK workers during the corovirus crisis – but with concerns for the future.

Innovation Report: Delivering against the odds

Published: 26 May, 2020

When the health crisis forced the on-trade to shut down overnight, drinks suppliers had to think on their feet to keep their businesses going. Jaq Bayles reports

Delayed recovery predictions put Covid-19 in stark contrast to 2008 crash

Published: 11 May, 2020

The UK’s retail sector will experience a delayed recovery well into the fourth quarter of 2020, with businesses needing to adapt to altered customer behaviours.

Living with Lockdown - Vinoteca

Published: 07 May, 2020

Hybrid wine bar co-owner Charlie Young talks to Andrew Catchpole about the massive challenges facing the on-trade and what is to come.

UK consumers are drinking less despite surging sales, new survey shows

Published: 04 May, 2020

Consumers are shunning alcoholic drinks during the Covid-19 crisis, the latest BrandTrack survey from CGA has found.

Cash crisis looms as businesses call for reform to “lip service” relief packages

Published: 02 April, 2020

Companies are calling on the government to reassess its package of relief support which they say doesn't go far enough, fast enough, to help cash-strapped businesses through these turbulent times.

Bibendum and Matthew Clark launch new app to help virus-hit on-trade

Published: 31 March, 2020

Bibendum and Matthew Clark has introduced a new app aimed at helping the virus-hit on-trade.

Premium drinking habits in the firing line amid economic shutdown

Published: 24 March, 2020

The ‘less but better’ mantra adopted by the trade over the past decade could be facing an existential threat, an industry expert has warned, as the coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic hits the reset button on drinking habits.