News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

The week that was

Published: 07 June, 2019

In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, here’s a review of the top online news, analysis, opinions and features.

Thirst for premium spirits boosts Rémy Cointreau

Published: 06 June, 2019

Rémy Cointreau has posted annual sales growth of 7.9% to €1,22bn driven by strong global sales of its key premium brands.

In store rationalisation means consumers are seeking out diversity online

Published: 06 June, 2019

Wine is the most frequently purchased alcoholic beverage online, it has been revealed, as consumers increasingly turn to the web to seek out the product diversity that’s been lost from the high street.

Martini and William Grant & Sons enter burgeoning low/no sector

Published: 06 June, 2019

Martini and William Grant & Sons have entered the burgeoning low/lo alcohol category.

Denbies releases traditional method sparkling Bacchus wine

Published: 06 June, 2019

Denbies Wine Estate has released a sparkling Bacchus made using the traditional method, which it claims to be the first of its kind to be produced in this way in the UK.

Online wine platform Winebuyers adds ‘Direct from the Distillery’ section

Published: 06 June, 2019

Online wine platform and members club Winebuyers has added a new section to its website that allows customers to connect with, and buy directly from British and Irish distilleries.

FDF reports biggest first quarter on record for UK food and drink exports

Published: 05 June, 2019

The Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has reported a 10.7% year on year increase in the exports of UK food and drink to £5.8bn for the first quarter of 2019, boosted by strong performances from whisky, gin and wine.

Amathus to distribute Kanpai sake

Published: 05 June, 2019

Amathus Drinks has teamed up with Kanpai for a UK-wide distribution deal.

Record number of drinks enter organic awards

Published: 05 June, 2019

The Boom awards (Best of Organic Market), organised by the Soil Association Certification, has seen a record amount of organic wine and spirit entries across the UK.

Waitrose unveils refillable wine

Published: 05 June, 2019

Waitrose is trialling refillable wine at its Oxford Botley Road store, as part of a drive to cut down on packaging.

Hong Kong “more engaged” with wine but exports to China go flat

Published: 05 June, 2019

The latest Wine Intelligence report on Hong Kong says after “many years of substantial growth” as the key Asian trading hub for wine, sales have plateaued after China, its biggest customer, established direct trade connections with wine-producing regions.

Hatch Mansfield unveils latest sustainability initiative

Published: 05 June, 2019

Hatch Mansfield has announced its next sustainability initiative is a borehole project in the North region of Uganda.

European trade association commits to providing energy value on spirits

Published: 05 June, 2019

SpiritsEUROPE, the trade association for European spirits producers, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide energy information on labels, together with full ingredient listings and detailed product-specific information online.

Fourth Wave teams up with Denomination to launch a lighter wine

Published: 04 June, 2019

Fourth Wave has launched a range of lighter-style wines called Tread Softly, in partnership with drinks design outfit Denomination.

Jeroboams to hold first Summer tasting for a decade

Published: 04 June, 2019

Jeroboams has announced its first Summer tasting for press, customers and clients in over 10 years.

'Hippy’ wine goes mainstream

Published: 04 June, 2019

The latest Sola report from Wine Intelligence has highlighted the opportunity for the industry to produce more alternative wines.

BRC reports ‘staggering’ fall in retail sales

Published: 04 June, 2019

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) has recorded the biggest sales decline on record and warned the issues facing UK high streets require “urgent attention”.

The Benevolent hails social media success

Published: 03 June, 2019

Drinks industry charity The Benevolent has said it “smashed” social media with the hashtag #benevolentcolours after it called on the industry to support its ‘It could be me’ campaign.

Boutinot reveals rise in sales and profits

Published: 03 June, 2019

Boutinot has reported turnover increased to £139.6 million for the year ending 31 August 2018, up 4.5% on the previous year.

Boiler Room and Pernod Ricard team up for new festival

Published: 03 June, 2019

Boiler Room, the music and culture platform, has joined forces with Pernod Ricard to launch the Boiler Room Festival, which will take place in London, Los Angeles and Johannesburg.