Independents - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Jeroboams ends “rollercoaster quarter” with early online re-launch

Published: 12 May, 2020

Jeroboams, London’s local wine merchant, has ploughed ahead with an earlier-than-planned revamp of its website.

Living with lockdown - Jeroboams

Published: 06 May, 2020

Hugh Sturges, MD at Jeroboams, gives Lisa Riley a glimpse of the realities of coping with lockdown

Berry Bros supports “hardest struck” smaller wine producers

Published: 27 April, 2020

Berry Bros & Rudd (BBR) has revealed an initiative to support some of the small family businesses hit by the Covid-19 crisis.

Staples bolsters Lay & Wheeler senior team

Published: 23 April, 2020

Lay & Wheeler has bolstered its senior team with the immediate addition of Simon Staples and Catherine Petrie MW.

Lanchester launches ‘enhanced service’ to support indies

Published: 14 April, 2020

Lanchester Wines has launched a specialist service to help support indies during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Berry Bros signs up as MND Association charity partner, following colleague's diagnosis

Published: 06 April, 2020

Berry Bros & Rudd has selected Motor Neurone Disease Association (MND Association) as it’s charity partner for the next three years.

Independents: Open to trade

Published: 03 April, 2020

With merchants fast adapting to survive, Andrew Catchpole surveyed the indie scene to discover how companies are adapting.

The revival of the monthly wine club

Published: 30 March, 2020

With subscription services fuelling the lives of many, it makes sense to add wine into the mix. Pre-lockdown, Chris Wilson looks at the new players pushing past the wine clubs of the 1980s.

Off-licences added to ‘essential’ retail list

Published: 25 March, 2020

The government has added off-licences and licenced shops selling alcohol, including those within breweries, to its list of ‘essential businesses’.

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.

Hedonism launches ‘wine school’

Published: 09 March, 2020

Hedonism has added another string to its bow with the launch of the Hedonist Wine School - a series of ticketed wine tastings in an informal setting.

Indies: Food for thought

Published: 04 March, 2020

Thinking of offering a hybrid experience? Andrew Catchpole asks two quite different operators how they balance being both a wine merchant and a bar

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.

My Perfect Customer: Rupert Pritchett, Taurus Wines

Published: 23 January, 2020

Based in a recently-renovated 400-year-old barn in the Surrey Hills, Taurus Wines is a family-run independent merchant. MD Rupert Pritchett, who has winemaking experience in Gigondas and Margaret River, says his secret to success is simple; don’t rip people off. Fair enough.

Spotlight on 2020: Hugh Sturges, Jeroboams

Published: 19 December, 2019

As we prepare for the new decade, Harpers will be taking the month of December to look back over 2019 and ahead to what the coming year will bring – hopefully full of revived optimism for both politics and the trade.

Spotlight on 2020: John Chapman, The Oxford Wine Company

Published: 17 December, 2019

Indies’ focus on esoteric Italy leaves supermarkets in the shade

Published: 12 December, 2019

Italy in the off-trade seems to be a game of two halves at the moment with supermarkets sticking to classics and bankers while independent merchants push the envelope with more esoteric wines and attempt to shape consumer habits.

My Favourite Customer: Matt Thomas, Vinoramica

Published: 12 December, 2019

East London-based independent merchant Vinoramica has been trading since 2017. Harpers caught up with Matt Thomas from the family-run business to discover what makes his customers tick and how free themed tasting evenings have put this indie start-up on the map.

German wine sales soar at royal wine supplier

Published: 09 December, 2019

Sales of German wines at fine wine merchant Justerini & Brooks have rocketed this year.

Independents: Collaborate to innovate

Published: 05 December, 2019

Teaming up to bring in ad hoc shipments is ushering in a new wave of collaboration between like-minded independents. Chris Wilson weighs the practicalities and benefits