Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Mentzendorff makes strategic adjustments to a new norm

Published: 18 September, 2020

Andrew Catchpole talks to Mentzendorff boss Andrew Hawes pre and post-lockdown

The Long Read: How the impulse channel is altering the retail map

Published: 17 September, 2020

Angela Mount reports on the dramatic growth of wine and alcohol sales in both the impulse and Cash & Carry channels.

English wine exports double

Published: 08 September, 2020

Exports of English wine more than doubled in 2019 while sales overall rocketed 70%, according to the latest data from Wine GB released today.

Low and no sales on the rise

Published: 07 September, 2020

Sales of low- and no-alcohol drinks are up 30% year-on-year in the off-trade, with consumer spend on alcohol-free spirits hitting £5.4m, according to data from Nielsen.

Sales at Pernod Ricard slump post-Covid

Published: 02 September, 2020

Organic sales at Pernod Ricard fell 9.5% as a result of the Covid-19 crisis, the company has reported, with revenues for the year to 30 June reaching €8.5bn.

End of Eat Out to Help Out signals new phase for restaurants

Published: 01 September, 2020

Food sales went through the roof in the first three weeks of the government’s The Eat Out to Help Out (EOHO) scheme, helping to normalise going out for Brits and jumpstarting the UK hospitality industry back towards health and prosperity.

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.

Registration closing soon on Loire Valley indies promotion

Published: 11 August, 2020

Registration is closing soon for the autumn Loire Valley independent wine merchant promotion, on which Harpers is partnering with Loire Valley Wines.

Beer is the big post-lockdown winner as pubs lead on-trade recovery

Published: 03 August, 2020

Out-of-home drinks sales are continuing to nudge upwards after the end of lockdown, with pubs and beer in most demand so far, it has emerged.

On-trade groups continue to nudge up sales as more sites reopen

Published: 31 July, 2020

Managed pub, bar and restaurant groups open across England and Scotland are seeing a steady improvement in sales as more sites reopen, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

CyT turns spotlight on Casillero del Diablo with £1.8m push

Published: 30 July, 2020

Concha y Toro (CyT) has announced a £1.8m TV push for Casillero del Diablo, its biggest brand.

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%.

Co-op reports record growth as market share soars

Published: 27 July, 2020

The Co-Op has reported record sales over the past quarter, with the fastest share growth in the grocery retail industry for the 12 weeks to 14 June (Kantar). Sales are up 29.1%, bringing their market share to 7.4% – their highest since 2001.

Champagne fails to agree 2020 yield amid “worst crisis since WW2”

Published: 24 July, 2020

The Champenois are in disarray as efforts to reach agreement on the level of yield for the 2020 harvest failed at a recent meeting of the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC) in Epernay.

Pernod Ricard issues more upbeat guidance for 2020

Published: 23 July, 2020

Pernod Ricard is predicting a softer impact on its business as a result of the ongoing Covid-19 crisis, according to its latest guidance for its 2020 results.

Prosecco in the pink with parallel rosé trends

Published: 17 July, 2020

A sizeable uplift in rosé wine sales is forecasting a rosey outlook for ‘Pink Prosecco’ which is due to land on British shelves and in ice buckets as of January 2021.

On-trade reports 40% drop in weekly sales

Published: 17 July, 2020

Sales across on-trade sites open in England in the first week after lockdown was lifted were down 39.8% compared to the same week last year, according to the latest Coffer Peach Business Tracker data released today.

Pandemic weighs down on Gen Z

Published: 15 July, 2020

The generation of youngest drinkers are the most difficult age group to entice back through the bar, restaurant or shop door, Wine Intelligence has suggested, with the fallout from Covid-19 likely to have the most detrimental impact on their buying behaviours.

Brand and packaging rethink needed as convenience and sustainability trends accelerate

Published: 15 July, 2020

A major shift in the way alcoholic drinks are packaged, dispensed and branded may well be here to stay in the wake of the pandemic.

Alcohol sales outperform soft drinks on first weekend back

Published: 13 July, 2020

Sales of alcohol in managed pubs and bars outstripped non-alcoholic drinks on the 4 July weekend, it has been revealed, with beer becoming the celebratory lockdown-breaker of choice among punters.