Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Quintessential adds two to senior team

Published: 11 February, 2020

International spirits producer Quintessential Brands has strengthened its management team with two senior hires.

Brexit boost for Boris from UK consumer businesses

Published: 11 February, 2020

Consumer businesses are overwhelmingly confident that the government will negotiate a good Brexit deal, according to a new survey from financial services consultancy RSM.

New MD for Weavers of Nottingham

Published: 29 January, 2020

Midlands-based wine merchants Weavers of Nottingham has appointed Philip Trease as its new MD.

Feel Good Grapes: All you need to know about the new online retailer

Published: 23 January, 2020

UK-based wine businessman and writer Mike Turner has added a new string to his bow for 2020. As well as running Please Bring Me My Wine, a wine industry focused digital media consultancy, and co-owning Primrose Hill restaurant La Ferme, where he oversees the wine list and wine training, he has launched a new online wine merchant.

Festive sales boost British on-trade

Published: 15 January, 2020

The festive season brought cheer for Brtiain’s on-trade, with like-for-like sales up 2.5% on the same six-week period in 2018, according to data from the Coffer Peach Business Tracker.

Hallgarten launches apprentice programme

Published: 14 January, 2020

Hallgarten & Novum Wines has today announced the launch of its Head Start apprenticeship programme with its first recruit.

Click to head sales at Ste Michelle

Published: 06 January, 2020

Wine entrepreneur Peter Click has joined Washington State winery Ste Michelle Wine Estates as vice president of international sales.

Indie gateway: the wholesaling survey

Published: 02 January, 2020

Independent merchants play an increasingly important role in local and regional wholesale, as our exclusive survey results reveal (link below).

Spotlight on 2020: Mark Roberts, Lanchester Wines

Published: 16 December, 2019

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

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.

Spotlight on 2020: Michael Saunders, Bibendum Wine

Published: 04 December, 2019

Jerry Lockspeiser: How should the wine trade vote on 12 December?

Published: 22 November, 2019

Running west along London’s Southbank on the section after the London Eye, with the Houses of Parliament to the right across the River Thames and just before Lambeth bridge, I came across a red van selling hot drinks. The side of the van was emblazoned with the words SINGLE ORIGIN HOT CHOCOLATE.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Why would anyone invest in a start up?

Published: 21 October, 2019

I recently received an invitation to invest in the BIB Wine Company. They are crowdfunding on the Seedrs platform, one of the UK’s major players in this market. BIB summarise their pitch as:

Wholesale: the last piece of the indie jigsaw

Published: 21 October, 2019

Indie wholesale is on the rise, tapping into a retail ethos of knowledge, service and quality product, writes Andrew Catchpole

Berkmann hedges against Brexit Christmas chaos

Published: 14 October, 2019

UK distributor Berkmann Wine Cellars has invested £5m in increased stocks and storage capacity at bond in the run-up to Christmas.

Majestic Wine announces first post-sale tasting

Published: 25 September, 2019

Majestic Wine has revealed details of its first tasting event since its acquisition by US private equity firm Fortress for £95 million early last month.