Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Online BWS sales soar 52%

Published: 14 July, 2021

Online beer, wine and spirits (BWS) sales soared the week commencing 27 June as England prepared to play Germany for a place in Euro 2020.

Wines of Portugal promo boosts independent sales

Published: 08 July, 2021

Wines of Portugal is reportting sales uplift of +286% in volume and +300% in value at participating retailers that were specially selected for June’s month-long promotion.

Rioja extends reach to restaurants for October celebration

Published: 01 July, 2021

Spain’s flagship region is launching Rioja Wine Month this October, inviting restaurants to join with independent merchants in a UK-wide promotion ahead of the Christmas trading period.

Italy Report: Supping on the south

Published: 24 June, 2021

Characterful and alluringly individual, Italy’s southern wines are on the rise, gaining more recognition for the blend of quality and value they can deliver. With all of this plugging into current consumer drinking trends, Andrew Catchpole surveyed a handful of Italophile importers and retailers to discover if the south’s time has arrived.

Retailers ‘cautiously optimistic’ about festive shopping season

Published: 12 November, 2020

Retailers are feeling “cautiously optimistic” about the festive shopping season, despite uncertainty around physical store openings and holiday sales patterns, according to Capgemini research released today.

‘Shop out to help out’ scheme needed for small retailers

Published: 02 November, 2020

Extra help is needed to support small, independent retailers through a second lockdown, including a ‘Shop out to help out’ scheme and a cashflow windfall, it has been suggested.

Medium and smaller brands take lead over private label

Published: 21 October, 2020

Private label sales are down across almost all European countries, with mid-sized brands and smaller companies performing best.

Wines of Germany launches £65k retailer partnership fund

Published: 19 August, 2020

Wines of Germany has launched a campaign offering financial support to smaller and medium-size retailers in the UK for the promotion of German wines to consumers.

Registration closing soon on Loire Valley indies promotion

Published: 11 August, 2020

Registration is closing soon for the autumn Loire Valley independent wine merchant promotion, on which Harpers is partnering with Loire Valley Wines.

Delayed recovery predictions put Covid-19 in stark contrast to 2008 crash

Published: 11 May, 2020

The UK’s retail sector will experience a delayed recovery well into the fourth quarter of 2020, with businesses needing to adapt to altered customer behaviours.

Jancis Robinson publishes major list of indie wine retailers delivering to self-isolators

Published: 19 March, 2020

Jancis Robinson MW has published a major list of independent wine retailers that are keeping lines of sales and delivery open amid the coronavirus (Covid-19) outbreak.

Co-op continues expansion with first Romanian and Uruguayan wines

Published: 12 March, 2020

Co-op’s has broadened its portfolio by adding its first wines from Romania and Uruguay.

NZ targets indie retailers with Pinot promotion

Published: 02 March, 2020

New Zealand Winegrowers is to run a promotion for the UK and Ireland’s independent retailers offering three winners the chance to win a trip to Pinot Noir 2021.

Looking back on a decade - Part one

Published: 23 January, 2020

2010-2020 delivered incredible change on both a domestic and an international level. The Harpers team peers back at some of the key stories that continue to shape today’s trade

Waitrose creates new top tier range

Published: 11 October, 2019

Waitrose has launched a top tier own-label range that includes wine, spirits and ciders.

Tech: Bringing AI to independents

Published: 02 October, 2019

How can smaller stores compete with the sprawling technology departments and deep machine learning capabilities of giants such as Amazon and Walmart? NextOrbit’s small business networks might provide an answer, writes Jo Gilbert

DO Rueda to embrace first-ever in-store promo with retailers

Published: 17 July, 2019

The Denomination of Origin (DO) Rueda is to launch an in-store promotion with independent retailers for the first time.

Royal Wedding and hot weather boost online BWS sales

Published: 03 August, 2018

Online sales of beer, wines and spirits were up 27.3% YoY in March 2018, new data has revealed.

Europe leads private label premiumisation

Published: 25 April, 2018

The quality of private label wines are on the up – and Europe is leading the pack.

Looking ahead: Troy Christensen, CEO, Enotria and Coe

Published: 18 December, 2017

With the all-important Christmas trading period underway - and hopefully turning passion into profit for the UK’s wine and spirits operators - we at Harpers are looking ahead past New Year to see what’s in store for the trade in 2018.