Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Multiples: Summer standouts

Published: 13 June, 2024

Own-label and discovery ranges are in the spotlight as supermarkets refresh their wines for the season. By James Bayley.

Weather drives May grocery sales boost, offering opportunities for off-trade alcohol sector ahead of Euros and Olympics

Published: 31 May, 2024

Weather has overtaken inflation as the primary driver of UK grocery sales growth in May, according to new data from NIQ. Total till sales at UK supermarkets grew by 3.3% for the four weeks ending 18 May 2024. This growth was fueled by shifts between wet and warm weather, which pushed value growth at supermarkets to 5.1%, a two-month high excluding Easter.

Multiples: Mixed Xmas 2023 for BWS

Published: 12 February, 2024

Some supermarkets reported buoyant sales over the festive period. James Bayley crunches the numbers.

Asda predicts to sell 420,000 low & no units in January

Published: 05 January, 2024

Major multiple retailer Asda has revealed to Harpers that it plans to sell 420,000 units of low & no beers, wines and spirits this ‘dry’ January, an increase of 7.7% on last year.

Asda: Adding variety

Published: 23 May, 2023

Asda has appeared quiet on the drinks front of late, but big change has been brewing, as Angela Mount reports.

Asda range shake-up on show at London tasting

Published: 18 May, 2023

As part of a major range and merchandising review, Asda has relaunched and expanded its premium ‘Extra Special’ range, doubling the numbers in the last two years, while increasing sales by over £1.25m year-on-year.

Multiples: Keeping wine accessible

Published: 27 January, 2023

Co-op and Asda BWS buyers tell James Bayley how they are attempting to ensure their consumers can continue to enjoy value-for-money wines in the bleak economic landscape.

St Austell Brewery agrees investment with Harbour Brewing Co

Published: 28 November, 2022

Cornwalls’ St Austell Brewery has taken a minority share in Harbour Brewing Co, a multi-award-winning Cornish brewery.

The only way is grape for Asda

Published: 13 October, 2022

In April 2021, Asda unveiled a major change to its wine aisles by becoming the first major UK supermarket to group all wine by grape variety instead of country.

Multiples: Consumers swapping to convenience stores

Published: 12 September, 2022

The pandemic years have shown a marked alteration in the fundamental patterns of shopping. During the first lockdown, there was a noticeable shift to more local shopping, as consumers strove to minimise contact with others. Today it would appear this trend has embedded itself in the very mindset of the average shopper, with convenience stores now accounting for 28.9% of UK grocery shopping.

Retail market starting to return to pre-Covid norms

Published: 04 July, 2022

According to Kantar, sales are falling at all the major multiples, but it’s not all doom and gloom. During the 12 weeks to 12 June, supermarket sales, including alcohol, groceries and softs, fell 1.9% year on year. Supermarket alcohol sales are also declining, down 12% year on year in the same period.

Ex-Accolade alumni Ade McKeon joins Blackfish Brands

Published: 19 January, 2022

Blackfish brands have welcome former Accolade Wines boss, Ade McKeon, into their governing board as non-executive director.

Kingsland Drinks backs eco wine brand with new listings

Published: 27 October, 2021

Kingsland Drinks is expanding the reach of eco wine brand The Hidden Sea with new listings in both Booths and Asda.

Grape changes at Asda

Published: 10 May, 2021

Asda’s decision to re-organise its wine aisle by variety rather than region is based on widely established research which shows consumers consider grape first when choosing a bottle of wine. But will it lead to more adventurous buying? Jo Gilbert shops around for the answers.

ASDA groups wine by grape rather than region

Published: 26 April, 2021

Asda has unveiled a major change in the setup of its wine aisles by becoming the first major UK supermarket to group all wine by grape instead of by country.

Mike Coupe to retire as Sainsbury’s CEO

Published: 22 January, 2020

Sainsbury's has announced its CEO Mike Coupe will retire from the supermarket group in May this year.

Asda workers take to streets as contract row escalates

Published: 16 October, 2019

Asda workers will take to the streets of Leeds this afternoon to protest against the retailer’s decision to impose a new contract on all of its staff.

CMA blocks Sainsbury’s and Asda merger

Published: 25 April, 2019

The proposed merger between Sainsbury’s and Asda has been blocked by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).

Sainsbury’s Asda merger “unlikely” to impact consumer choice as supermarkets offer to unload 150 stores

Published: 25 March, 2019

The tie-up between Britain’s second and third largest supermarkets will have no detrimental impact on the diverse and “quick to adapt” supermarket sector, it has been suggested.

Suppliers “operate in a climate of fear” warns FDF in Asda-Sainsbury’s probe

Published: 14 November, 2018

“Suppliers effectively operate in a climate of fear as Sainsbury’s and Asda act as gatekeepers to the market”, the Food and Drinks Federation (FDF) has said in the latest round of consultations on the proposed supermarket merger.