Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Talking team QB

Published: 13 August, 2020

Insight and innovation are threaded through Quintessential Brands’ DNA. Andrew Catchpole catches up with James Lousada and Neil Anderson to find out more

Premium spirits to defy Covid pressures

Published: 05 August, 2020

Premium-and-above spirits are forecasted to increase their global volume market share to 13% by 2024 as consumers continue to search for “authenticity and status”, according to the IWSR.

Casual Dining Group remerges from administration as The Big Table

Published: 03 August, 2020

Casual Dining Group (CDG), the failed restaurant group that owned the Las Iguanas, Bella Italia and Café Rouge chains, has been rescued by private equity firm, saving 4,000 jobs across the UK and over 150 outlets.

UK hospitality takes a £30bn tumble

Published: 28 July, 2020

The closure of the hospitality industry between April to June left a £30bn hole in the British economy, it has emerged.

Pernod Ricard takes mezcal super premium

Published: 17 July, 2020

French giant Pernod Ricard has grown its stake in the “fast-growing” mezcal segment via Ojo de Tigre, a small-batch spirit made from sustainable agave.

Pandemic weighs down on Gen Z

Published: 15 July, 2020

The generation of youngest drinkers are the most difficult age group to entice back through the bar, restaurant or shop door, Wine Intelligence has suggested, with the fallout from Covid-19 likely to have the most detrimental impact on their buying behaviours.

Majestic re-opens across the Channel

Published: 08 July, 2020

Majestic Calais, the French arm of Majestic Wine, has reopened its doors to customers at its superstore over The Channel following the easing of travel restrictions in and out of the UK.

Major brands “reallocating” funds away from on-trade into e-commerce and DTC

Published: 02 July, 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic is facilitating a long-term shift among many of the world’s leading drinks brands’ strategies, it has been suggested, as owners begin to adopt a more “nuanced” approach to channel distribution.

Friday Read: What’s going to drive us to drink after the pandemic?

Published: 29 May, 2020

Rowena Curlewis, CEO of drinks design specialist Denomination, looks at the impact that the lockdown will have on our future drinks choices

Champagne Academy launches emergency financial fund for The Drinks Trust

Published: 28 May, 2020

The Champagne Academy has announced the launch of a range of fundraising initiatives to help support The Drinks Trust and its beneficiaries through these turbulent times.

Alcohol to not rebound globally until 2024

Published: 26 May, 2020

It will take five years for the global alcohol category to get back to pre-Covid health, the IWSR has predicted, with double digit declines expected to the hit the category this year.

Night trade poses biggest barrier to reopening on-premise

Published: 22 May, 2020

Packed pubs, standing-only bars and heaving nightclubs pose the biggest challenge to getting the struggling on-trade back on its feet, the IWSR has suggested.

The Drinks Trust wellness services

Published: 21 May, 2020

The Drinks Trust has launched a number of new services focusing on improving the mental health of the industry and supporting them through what has been a troubling time for many.

Nyetimber expands across Kent with 205,000 new vines

Published: 18 May, 2020

Nyetimber has gone ahead with plans to rapidly expand its area under vine, with a major planting of 42ha at a new site in Kent.

Pandemic is officially “Bad for beer, better for spirits and wine”

Published: 15 May, 2020

Beer and cider were hard-hit in the 2008/9 economic crisis, suffering from a combination of duty rises, an on-trade slump and increased at-home consumption, all of which tend to favour spirits and wine.

Desperate times for bars and restaurants facing “short-term cashflow catastrophe” as footfall plummets 50%

Published: 16 March, 2020

Pressure is being piled on chancellor Rishi Sunak to introduce emergency measures to stem the knock on effect of coronavirus (Covid-19) as footfall to UK businesses fell by almost 50% over the weekend.

Nyetimber and Plumpton join forces to develop winemakers of the future

Published: 09 March, 2020

Nyetimber is looking to help develop the next generation of wine industry leaders via a new placement scheme in conjunction with Plumpton College’s wine division.

Yellow Tail and Casillero del Diablo continue dominance of global power list

Published: 09 March, 2020

Australia and Chile have once again topped Wine Intelligence’s list of the world’s power brands, with Yellow Tail and Casillero del Diablo holding onto their spots in first and second place for the third year in a row.

Wine Lister joins forces with French media giant

Published: 04 February, 2020

UK-based fine wine agency and analytics platform, Wine Lister, has been acquired by French media outfit, Groupe Figaro.

Essex and East Anglia primed for viticultural expansion say climate change researchers

Published: 28 January, 2020

Climate change researchers have pegged Essex and Norfolk as the next major areas to plant as warmer summers extend the area where grapes can be grown productively in the UK.