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Stephen Forward blog: Gross profits aids sustainability

Published:  14 February, 2011

Every now and then I stumble across independent wine retailers selling exclusive product lines on
tiny gross profit margins. I used to ask myself how on earth can they could sell at those prices and stay in business. A year or two later I would discover that these very same retailers had gone bust: the answer to my question was, of course, "they can't".

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Richard Siddle, comment December 17

Published:  17 December, 2010


And so this is Christmas, another year over and a new one about to be begin. With all due respects to Mr Lennon it has been another eventful year in the world of wine and spirits.

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Australia's First Families of Wine launches second year of UK activity

Published:  09 December, 2010

Australia's First Families of Wine (AFFW) has launched its second year of UK activity.

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Inverarity Vaults opens Edinburgh wine bar

Published:  07 December, 2010

Inverarity Vaults has opened its first wine bar in Edinburgh at the city's Festival Theatre under its One to One retail brand.

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Barwell & Jones takes on premium Aussie wines

Published:  03 December, 2010

Barwell & Jones has added premium Western Australian winery Willow Bridge Estate to its portfolio.

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Alcohol sales to plummet over Christmas

Published:  03 December, 2010
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Oddbins launches new off-licence and convenience store concept

Published:  02 December, 2010

Oddbins has launched a new off-licence and convenience store concept called Oddies.

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Ex chief constable calls for minimum pricing in Brighton

Published:  01 December, 2010

The former assistant chief constable with Sussex Police has called for a ban on cheap alcohol in Brighton to call a halt to excessive drinking.

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Independents urged to enter Top Merchants awards programme

Published:  01 December, 2010

Independent merchants have the chance to prove how good they are by entering the inaugural Top Merchant Awards programme organised by Harpers Wine & Spirit, in association with Gruppo Italiano Vini and Wines of Chile.

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Independents urged to enter Top Merchants awards programme

Published:  01 December, 2010

Independent merchants have the chance to prove how good they are by entering the inaugural Top Merchant Awards programme organised by Harpers Wine & Spirit, in association with Gruppo Italiano Vini and Wines of Chile.

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Investors pull out of euro into sterling

Published:  01 December, 2010


Sterling climbed against the euro yesterday as concerns over sovereign debt in the euro zone continued to hamper the single currency.

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Independents urged to enter Top Merchants awards programme

Published:  01 December, 2010

Independent merchants have the chance to prove how good they are by entering the inaugural Top Merchant Awards programme organised by Harpers Wine & Spirit, in association with Gruppo Italiano Vini and Wines of Chile.

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Naked Wines invest £10 million to find new winemakers

Published:  30 November, 2010

UK online wine retailer, Naked Wines, has announced a £10 million, 2011 investment pot to unearth new winemaking talent.

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Supermarket wine comparison website launches

Published:  29 November, 2010

A supermarket comparison site has launched the UK's first online wine comparison site ? it allows shoppers to compare prices between Virgin Wines, Majestic, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Ocado.

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Balls Brothers in administration

Published:  29 November, 2010

Balls Brothers, the 19-strong London wine bar and restaurant group, has gone into adminstration.

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Supermarket wine comparison website launches

Published:  29 November, 2010

A supermarket comparison site has launched the UK's first online wine comparison site ? it allows shoppers to compare prices between Virgin Wines, Majestic, Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Ocado.

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8 out of 10 drinkers choose wine with strong reputation in home market

Published:  29 November, 2010

Eight out of ten British wine drinkers prefer to buy wine which is well-thought of in its home country than wine endorsed by celebrities.

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Tough conditions for alcohol sales in Greater Manchester

Published:  23 November, 2010
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Independents and on-trade look to benefit from #winedealfriday

Published:  19 November, 2010

Anyone looking to service the independent or on-trade sectors is today encouraged to join the growing the number of suppliers that are using Harpers Wine & Spirit's #winedealfriday to offer special deals directly through Twitter, the social media service.

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Call for higher VAT on supermarket alcohol

Published:  19 November, 2010

VAT should be increased on drinks sold in supermarkets and off-licences - but not the on-trade, a leading doctor has suggested.

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