Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Low and no: How far will it go?

Published: 01 April, 2021

Consumer demand for no and low alcohol products and ready-to-drink is on the rise both globally and in the UK. But how long will this growth continue? Jo Gilbert looks ahead.

Villa Maria looks to sell surplus land as part of global growth ambitions

Published: 05 November, 2020

Leading New Zealand estate Villa Maria has announced it is aiming to sell 31 ha of surplus land surrounding its headquarters in Mangere, Auckland, and is exploring raising capital to accelerate growth plans worldwide.

CyT thrives in Q3 despite pandemic

Published: 02 November, 2020

Net profits at Chilean wine giant Viña Concha y Toro have risen 54% in the third quarter, the company has announced, with EBITDA growing 53%.

UK retail lifts moribund global sales at Pernod Ricard

Published: 22 October, 2020

Drinks giant Pernod Ricard has seen its sales drop 6% in the first quarter of the financial year, though UK retail sales remain dynamic.

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.

Aviation Gin takes off with Diageo in $610m deal

Published: 18 August, 2020

Hollywood actor Ryan Reynolds’ Aviation Gin brand has landed a mega-deal with drinks giant Diageo, which has been acquired via parent company Davos Brands.

Loire Valley sparklers herald UK uplift

Published: 02 July, 2020

Loire Valley fizz has enjoyed a surge in exports to the UK, with Crémant de Loire having jumped just shy of 50%.

Alcohol sales knocked by lockdown

Published: 08 June, 2020

Despite the marked shift from on-trade to home drinking, lockdown could still leave a sobering £7bn hole in total UK alcohol sales, as Andrew Catchpole reports.

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.

Polarisation in the drinks market

Published: 02 April, 2020

A new report revealed both mainstream and super-premium categories were growing pre-pandemic, while highlighting the opportunities for retailers. Lisa Riley looks at some of the trends that may re-emerge down the line.

Distell reverses course on premium division

Published: 31 March, 2020

South African drinks giant Distell has shuttered its premium wine division Libertas Vineyards and Estates after little more than a year.

Austria wine exports hit record high

Published: 13 March, 2020

Austria’s wine industry posted record export growth figures in 2019 by both value and volume.

New group CFO for Quintessential

Published: 24 February, 2020

International spirits producer Quintessential Brands has appointed Alex Pollard as its new group chief finance officer.

TWE slashes growth predictions as US business stalls

Published: 29 January, 2020

Treasure Wine Estates (TWE) has cut its predictions of growth for 2020 from between 15% and 20% to between 5% and 10% after its first half-year figures were released yesterday.

Spotlight on 2020: Damian Clarke, Freixenet Copestick

Published: 16 December, 2019

As we prepare for the new decade, Harpers looks back over 2019 and ahead to what the coming year will bring – hopefully full of revived optimism for both politics and the trade.

UK pub numbers on the rise again

Published: 11 December, 2019

The number of British pubs has increased for the first time in a decade, analysis from hospitality sector software start-up Stampede has revealed.

Drinks sales rescue on-trade from weak November

Published: 09 December, 2019

Drinks sales in Britain’s pubs helped the on-trade stay in growth in November, latest monthly food-and-drink data from the Coffer Peach Tracker has shown.

Diageo buys Tipplesworth to drive cocktails ‘on tap’ growth

Published: 03 December, 2019

Diageo has acquired pre-mix cocktail specialist Tipplesworth for an undisclosed sum.

Low and no on-trade sales soar by nearly 50%

Published: 02 December, 2019

Sales of no- and low-alcohol drinks in the on-trade have risen nearly 50% in the last year, according to a new report from food-and-drink sector analysts CGA.

Washington closes in on six new AVAs as wineries pass 1,000 mark

Published: 19 November, 2019

Washington State has edged closer to its aim of adding six new AVAs to its current roster of 14 as this Pacific North West producer continues on its fast growth trajectory.