News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Cold weather fails to dampen eating out sales in January

Published: 12 February, 2015

Restaurants and managed pubs saw like-for-like sales grow 1.4% in January, despite the snow and cold weather.

Flint Wines takes on Tim Mondavi's Napa estate Continuum

Published: 11 February, 2015

Flint Wines has expanded its US wine selection by becoming the exclusive UK agent for Tim Mondavi's Napa estate, Continuum.

England and New Zealand's sparkling wines clash ahead of Cricket World Cup

Published: 11 February, 2015

The doyens of the English and New Zealand sparkling wine industry are ratcheting up the competition ahead of the Cricket World Cup with a blind taste off.

Bibendum PLB says data insights vital to trading with multiples

Published: 11 February, 2015

Bibendum PLB says its "bird's eye view' of the UK market marks it out as a unique player in offering consumer behaviour data to customers in this increasingly tough multiple retailer environment.

Senior industry figures toast positive reception from Treasury over proposed 2% duty cut

Published: 11 February, 2015

Senior representatives from the drinks industry met with Treasury officials yesterday to present evidence in support of the proposed 2% duty cut on alcohol, describing the discussions as "constructive".

BrewDog continues expansion with opening of first Spanish bar

Published: 11 February, 2015

Scotland's largest independent brewery BrewDog is continuing with its expansion plans with the opening of its 26th bar and its first in Spain with its new Barcelona outpost.

California's 2014 grape crush shows 'healthy decline' but won't stop bulk prices sliding

Published: 11 February, 2015

California's grape crush for 2014 hit 3.91 million tonnes, showing a "healthy decline" of 340,000 tonnes on the previous year, however the "ample inventories" of 2012 and 2013 means finding buyers for wine will be a challenge.

MPs back Drop the Duty campaign by taking trade's duty call to the Chancellor

Published: 11 February, 2015

MPs across the country are starting to respond to independent wine merchants and members of the wider wine and spirits industry who have contacted them through the Drop the Duty campaign calling on them to lobby the Chancellor for a 2% duty cut in the March Budget.

Virgin Wines sees festive sales boost of £10m

Published: 10 February, 2015

Online wine retailer Virgin Wines saw like-for-like sales jump 20% over the festive period, accounting for an extra £10 million - driven by a stellar performance from fizz.

Stevens Garnier rebrands to Sogrape and ups on-trade focus

Published: 10 February, 2015

Wine supplier Stevens Garnier is ditching its old name in favour of Sogrape, that of its Portuguese parent company, and has vowed to hone in on the UK's on-trade in 2015.

French bag-in-box only retailer BiBoViNo seeks UK franchisees

Published: 10 February, 2015

French bag-in-box only wine retailer BiBoViNo is actively seeking UK franchisees to expand its 10-strong estate internationally.

Tesco and rest of the supermarket industry returning to growth, says Kantar

Published: 10 February, 2015

After 13 reported months of decline Tesco has posted 0.3% growth and the supermarket industry as a whole appears to be improving with growth accelerating to 1.1%.

Why a cut in duty is fair to consumers and business says SWA's David Frost

Published: 10 February, 2015

In my time as a diplomat, I spent a lot of time promoting Scotch whisky overseas. When I first got to know the industry, I found it very surprising to learn Scotch Whisky was Britain's biggest food and drink sector and indeed represented nearly a quarter of all Britain's food and drink exports.

Red Squirrel Wines behind new trade initiative to promote Bulgarian wines

Published: 10 February, 2015

Independent wine merchant, Red Squirrel Wines, is behind a new initiative to put the spotlight on wines from Bulgaria with four days of events in March including a trade tasting at the Bulgarian Embassy on March 18.

WSTA meets Treasury to call for 2% alcohol duty cut

Published: 10 February, 2015

The Wine and Spirit Trade Association is today meeting with the Treasury to present its 2015 Budget submission calling for a 2% cut in wine and spirits duty.

Cambridge Wine's Hal Wilson urges independents to lobby their MP for duty cut

Published: 10 February, 2015

Following yesterday's call by Harpers to independent wine merchants to play their part in the industry wide campaign to convince the Chancellor to issue a duty cut on wine and spirits in his March Budget, leading independent Hal Wilson of Cambridge Wine Merchants today explains why he has personally lobbied his local MP, the Liberal Democrat Julian Huppert, and urges other merchants to do the same.

Drinks producers and retailers 'get personal' for Valentine's Day

Published: 09 February, 2015

Wine and spirits retailers and producers are looking to cash in on love this Valentine's Day with a host of personalised and quirky products alongside the more straightforward deals.

US 'most attractive' market for premium wine producers, says Rabobank

Published: 09 February, 2015

The United States is the "most attractive major market" for producers targeting premium wine sales, says the latest report from Rabobank.

Action Week 2: Call to indies to lobby local MP and media for a Drop in Duty

Published: 09 February, 2015

Harpers is today calling on independent wine merchants across the UK to lobby both their MP and local media to back the Drop the Duty campaign and help raise the profile of their business on this key business issue.

California's bumper 2014 harvest means overstock on bulk wine, broker warns

Published: 09 February, 2015

California produced a "shed-load" of wine - 4 million tonnes - in the chronic drought conditions of 2014, which will lead to an inventory surplus, a top bulk broker has warned.