First Brexit, then Covid, and now a major war in Europe. The economic landscape has been knocked from side to side, then up and down, and is now lurching in the most unpredictable fashion. Managing business strategy in these circumstances is extremely tough. If dealing with known unknowns is hard, facing unknown unknowns is extraordinarily challenging.
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Jason Millar looks at how the long tail of Brexit and Covid have impacted merchants looking to buy direct.
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In a sector facing soaring costs and plummeting consumer confidence, today’s increase in VAT gives operators a tough decision to make on price rises.
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Yesterday, the cross-party, cross-business UK Trade and Business Commission heard that post-Brexit import checks would create less choice and higher prices for UK wine consumers.
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As the cost of living increases, consumers are looking to reduce spending, and recreational drinking could bear the brunt.
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With the wine trade potentially facing a damaging new duty regime, Andrew Catchpole convened a panel at Wine Paris to ask: “Will the proposed new excise duties in the UK make wine unaffordable?”
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Exports of British gin have fallen for the second year running, according to the latest HMRC figures released yesterday.
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Signs that life is returning to something closer to normal, at least for the UK’s independent merchants, were borne out in London yesterday (17 January) at a well-attended Vindependents tasting in Camden.
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Adaptability has been key for indies that have sought not just to survive, but to thrive, as Angela Mount reports.
Continuing our seasonal Bouncing Back Q&A series, Caroline Thompson-Hill takes stock of the lessons of 2021 and calls out the challenge posed to trade by the proposed alcohol duty reforms.
Continuing our seasonal Bouncing Back Q&A series, Ben Knollys takes stock of the challenges and lessons of 2021 and considers the path ahead for the trade.
With three Michelin stars under his belt, Spanish chef Quique Dacosta opened his first London venue, the paella celebrating Arros QD, in 2019. He talks to Harpers about surviving the perfect storm of Covid, Brexit and the ongoing difficulties for hospitality.
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Douglas Blyde looks at some of the more innovative strides made by Scotch producers over the course of the pandemic in order to remain resilient in the fallout from Brexit, lockdowns and the USA’s draconian import taxes.
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Vindependents has managed to cut transit time from Europe to the UK from six weeks to two weeks, while shaving 20% off transports costs by launching a new a warehouse and distribution company in South-West France.
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In his opening address at the WSTA Industry Summit 2021, CEO Miles Beale took an imaginary look back at the past decade from 2031 to highlight the lobbying and initiatives that the industry body has planned or instigated.
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With on-trade reopening still disrupted, Andrew Catchpole assesses the impact and opportunities for indies’ wholesale operations.
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The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has won a significant post-Brexit victory after government has agreed to scrap the time consuming and costly VI-1 forms on imported wine.
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The number of new job vacancies in the hospitality sector rose by almost 10% in the last seven days, according to new analysis by audit, tax and consulting firm RSM.
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Jo Gilbert examines whether the past year has helped or hindered the pre-Brexit narrative that leaving the EU would benefit sales of English and Welsh wine
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Staff shortages in the hospitality sector are set to hit crisis levels following the 30 June, when it will become more difficult to hire EU workers, a leading City law firm has warned.
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