Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

All systems go for pink Prosecco

Published: 22 May, 2020

Prosecco DOC Rosé has now been enshrined in Italian law, meaning the trade can expect to see the first official ‘pink Proseccos’ hitting shelves in 2021.

Online uplands: scaling the new heights

Published: 22 May, 2020

Moving to online sales has saved more than one drinks retailer in recent weeks and all the signs point to the model continuing, finds Andrew Catchpole.

Alcohol weathers Covid-19 peaks and troughs to become second highest food and drink growth category

Published: 20 May, 2020

Alcohol has weathered the storm of the coronavirus, new figures show, beating packaged foods and other beverages to see a 25% uplift in value sales since the beginning of lockdown.

Liv-ex offers checklist for merchants looking to accelerate e-sales

Published: 18 May, 2020

Liv-ex has given a number of pointers to indie merchants who are looking to move sales online.

Pandemic is officially “Bad for beer, better for spirits and wine”

Published: 15 May, 2020

Beer and cider were hard-hit in the 2008/9 economic crisis, suffering from a combination of duty rises, an on-trade slump and increased at-home consumption, all of which tend to favour spirits and wine.

US number one hard seltzer brand sets it sights on UK domination

Published: 15 May, 2020

White Claw, the brand which has ignited a seltzer storm in the US, is now looking to replicate its success across the pond.

Roberson talks supercharging online sales as UK e-commerce soars to 10 year high

Published: 14 May, 2020

Overnight, online sales have become the breadwinner for companies up and down the UK thanks to Covid-19 and its not-so-subtle ability to completely reshape shopping behaviours.

Still wine wins out as UK drinking occasions rise to new heights

Published: 14 May, 2020

The UK’s 28 million wine consumers have found new and more occasions to enjoy their favourite drink, according to new research from Wine Intelligence.

Wine sales in US maintain pre-pandemic levels

Published: 06 May, 2020

Wine sales in the US have nearly returned to pre-pandemic levels after an early spike in online sales, according to a new US Covid-19 Impact Report from Wine Intelligence.

Living with lockdown - Jeroboams

Published: 06 May, 2020

Hugh Sturges, MD at Jeroboams, gives Lisa Riley a glimpse of the realities of coping with lockdown

UK demand for premium Prosecco doubles

Published: 05 May, 2020

Export volumes from the Conegliano Valdobbiadene Prosecco Superiore DOCG to the UK doubled in 2019, according to the latest data from its Consorzio.

Jascot’s pivots towards e-commerce amid Covid-19 angst

Published: 27 April, 2020

On-trade wine supplier Jascots has launched a full ecommerce site selling direct to consumers across the UK.

Generics respond to the pandemic: Wines of Portugal

Published: 24 April, 2020

In the seventh of our series on responses by the generics to the Covid-19 pandemic, Andrew Catchpole talks to Jorge Monteiro, president, Wines of Portugal

Champagne: Weathering the storm

Published: 20 April, 2020

With little to celebrate, it’s unlikely consumers will be reaching for the Champagne any time soon, but the category has weathered storms before, says Chris Losh.

Wine and whisky investment bounce back in China

Published: 15 April, 2020

Global trader BI Fine Wine & Spirits has reported that its volume sales of high-end wine and rare whisky to Asia jumped 25% in March as Chinese buyers returned to the market.

Restructured Armit comes out fighting

Published: 31 March, 2020

Significant restructuring at Armit Wines following new MD Brett Fleming’s appointment has seen improved performance, stemming a decline in the second half of FY2019 with far reaching change to its business strategy.

Joe Fattorini: The power of ‘no’

Published: 27 March, 2020

Joe Fattorini, head of London sales at Fields, Morris & Verdin

Jascots calls out to retail and wholesalers in need of stock as it pivots away from on-trade

Published: 23 March, 2020

On-trade supplier Jascots Wine Merchants has announced it is switching its focus to home-delivery and wholesale retail after sales plummeted from 85% of ‘normal’ to zero in the space of four days.

Friday Read: UK wineries battle coronavirus crisis with British determination

Published: 20 March, 2020

Rapidly slowing exports, a pivoting to direct to consumer sales as on-trade sales stall and vineyards on lock down – such is the picture of the UK wine industry today as it grapples with the ongoing disruption from the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19).

Coronaviris: Harpers to assist business with exchange of ideas, advice and information

Published: 16 March, 2020

In response to the advancing coronavirus crisis, the Harpers team is asking off and on-trade business, large and small, to share strategies and initiatives designed to help drive commercial activity and sales through a period of unprecedented disruption and uncertainty.