Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Sommelier Wine Awards 2026 now open for entries

Published: 29 October, 2025

The Sommelier Wine Awards (SWA) is open for entries to its 2026 round of judging.

Hospitality: Rates surcharge threatens high street closures

Published: 27 October, 2025

According to trade bodies UK Hospitality (UKH) and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) 500 high street retail premises will be at risk of closure if the planned business rates surcharge goes ahead.

Pernod Ricard launches SIP Supernova Programme

Published: 27 October, 2025

Pernod Ricard’s trade advocacy platform, SIP, has launched its 2026 SIP Supernova competition.

Ian Harris plans 66 mile walk for charity

Published: 03 October, 2025

In two weeks’ time, Ian Harris MBE, the ex-CEO of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET), will walk the Vanguard Way for charity.

UKH encourages hospitality teams to write to their MP

Published: 22 September, 2025

UKHospitality (UKH) has launched a new online tool for hospitality teams to call on the Government to support the sector by writing to their MP.

Almost 1m adults have experienced spiking in past year

Published: 17 September, 2025

New research from Drinkaware and Anglia Ruskin University can reveal that approximately 2% of UK adults have been a victim of drink spiking in the past year.

UKHospitality announces job losses set to reach 111,000 by Budget

Published: 16 September, 2025

UKHospitality has projected that a total of 111,000 hospitality jobs will have been lost by the Budget on 26 November.

The Shaker Collective: Forging hospitality connections

Published: 15 September, 2025

Just a month after going live, a free online hospitality networking platform by a duo of industry veterans has attracted members from more than 100 cities in 40 countries.

UKHospitality joins scotch whisky industry’s call for a duty freeze

Published: 11 September, 2025

UKHospitality, the trade body for hospitality which represents over 750 companies in the UK, has backed the Scotch Whisky Association’s (SWA) call for the UK Government to freeze alcohol duty in the Autumn Budget.

Blick Rothenberg calls for rent holiday over tube strikes

Published: 09 September, 2025

Audit, tax and business advisory firm Blick Rothenberg have called on the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, to give hospitality businesses on Transport for London (TFL) properties a rent and rate holiday during this week’s tube strikes.

The results: Top 50 Sommeliers 2025

Published: 05 September, 2025

Harpers Top 50 Sommeliers 2025 listing has landed, celebrating the very best in the UK restaurant world.

The curious shift to earlier dining in the on-trade

Published: 29 August, 2025

A recent report by Zonal and CGA by NIQ Insights has revealed that the average preferred time for dinner bookings now is 6.12pm, which suggests that for every group sampling a set menu at 7.30pm, another is sharing small plates and a mineral water at 5.00pm.

Over half of all job losses since Budget in hospitality

Published: 26 August, 2025

Fresh analysis of Office for National Statistics (ONS) jobs data by UK Hospitality can reveal that more than half of all job losses since the Autumn Budget have been in the hospitality sector.

Survey reveals hospitality venues operating at only 85% capacity

Published: 20 August, 2025

A new survey from leading hospitality trade bodies has revealed that 69% of businesses queried are operating at or below 85% capacity.

Bence Karpatfalvi: ‘Looking Back, Forging Ahead’

Published: 11 August, 2025

Bence Karpatfalvi, head sommelier at the recently awarded three Michelin-starred Moor Hall Restaurant with Rooms, talks challenges and triumphs for our summer series of Q&As.

NICs rises: One-in-five hospitality businesses planning redundancies

Published: 08 August, 2025

Research from Zest, the employee benefits technology provider, and Opinium has highlighted that almost one-in-five hospitality businesses (18%) are planning redundancies this year due to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) rises.

The Drinks Trust reopens WSET bursary

Published: 08 August, 2025

The Drinks Trust has announced that its WSET bursary is to be offered for a third year running.

JKS Restaurants announces US debut with two new venues

Published: 06 August, 2025

On-trade heavyweight JKS Restaurants has announced a stateside expansion with two new launches set to open.

Hospitality: Two closures per day in first half of 2025

Published: 05 August, 2025

Fresh data from the Hospitality Market Monitor from CGA by NIQ and AlixPartners can reveal that the UK hospitality sector saw 62 net closures per month in the first half of 2025. This figure equates to approximately two closure per day.

Charting the challenges facing the British on-trade

Published: 01 August, 2025

The closure of the three M Restaurant sites in London in May is, perhaps, as good a metaphor for the UK’s beleaguered restaurant trade as any. The first venue opened in 2014 as a big steak, big wine bling-fest for flush City workers, expanding with further venues pre and post Covid. It was plush, premium and successful. Now, following a huge rent increase from its landlord, it’s no more.