Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

UK: More than 80% of supply chain professionals believe their business has a scheme in place to make their distribution performance more sustainable, according to research by IGD.

Foster's sells Nurioopta complex

Published: 23 July, 2008

AUSTRALIA: Tarac Technologies has bought Foster's Nurioopta white winery packaging and warehouse complex for an undisclosed sum.

Record amount raised at Penfolds auction

Published: 23 July, 2008

The largest-ever auction of Penfolds wines has raised a record amount, with two rare sets of Grange selling for nearly 125,000.

Government probes into supermarket pricing

Published: 23 July, 2008

UK: Home secretary confirms joint Home Office/Department of Health (DoH) investigation into supermarket discounting.

Absolut owners upbeat despite profit loss

Published: 23 July, 2008

SWEDEN: Swedish drinks company Vin & Sprit, which owns brand including Absolut vodka has seen a fall in profits of 19% despite increasing sales volume.

Australian appellation rejected

Published: 23 July, 2008

Plans to create a new Geographical Indication (GI) called Penola have been thrown out by authorities as "confusing and potentially misleading".

Australia targets India's middle class

Published: 23 July, 2008

AUSTRALIA: Trade minister Warren Truss is urging the country's wine business to harness the opportunity to secure distribution to India's growing middle class.

French export sales rise

Published: 23 July, 2008

FRANCE: The country's wine exports in the first half of 2007 rose 7.5% to 4.16 billion (2.82bn) the Federation of Wine and Spirit Exporters France (FEVS) said.

Cars to run on whisky and beer by-products

Published: 23 July, 2008

Brewery and distillery by-products could be turned into car fuel, following research by Scottish scientists.

Distell enjoys revenue rise of 18%

Published: 23 July, 2008

SOUTH AFRICA: Distell has announced revenue growth of 18.4%, and a sales volume increase of 14.4%.

FSA bans second lower-alcohol wine in two weeks

Published: 23 July, 2008

UK: Sovio, a semi-sparkling Spanish wine, bottled at 8% abv, is the latest lower-alcohol product to incur the wrath of the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Russian vodka sales to soar

Published: 23 July, 2008

RUSSIA (Bloomberg): The value of Russia's vodka market is set to increase 5.8% annually over the next five years.

Hitler's Champagne at auction

Published: 23 July, 2008

UK: Swedish presenters snap-up Adolf Hitler's poisoned' 1937 Moet et Chandon at auction

UK grocery market gets tougher

Published: 23 July, 2008

UK: The latest TNS Worldpanel grocery market share figures for the 12 weeks ending August 12 show further signs of a consumer spending slowdown with market growth dipping to 3%.