Online - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Bordeaux Index records 37% revenue growth in H1 2022

Published: 08 August, 2022

The global fine wine and spirits merchant, Bordeaux Index, generated £80m in revenue in the first half of 2022 – an increase of 37%.

Virgin Wines announces year-end trading update

Published: 29 July, 2022

Online wine retailer Virgin Wines has maintained much of its lockdown growth thanks to a loyal customer base and subscription model.

Virgin Wines announce 51% sales increase for its vegan range

Published: 25 July, 2022

Sales of vegan wine have more than doubled for Virgin Wines in the last two years, rising by 51%.

Cadman Capital launches new-look website with crypto payment option

Published: 15 July, 2022

Following research earlier in the year to better understand its customer’s needs, Cadman Fine Wines has announced the launch of a new website for its wine retail businesses, complete with crypto payment functionality.

Hyper-convenience and the opportunities for wine

Published: 13 July, 2022

Forget the next day or one-hour delivery slot. Buoyed by the rise of on-demand culture and at-home eating and drinking trends, a surge in the rise of rapid retail platforms is now promising consumers deliveries to their door via an app in 15 or even 10 minutes.

June online retail growth remains negative, but freefall eases slightly

Published: 11 July, 2022

Capgemini has announced its June IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index, which tracks the online sales performance of over 200 retailers.

Octavian launches customer portal, MyCellar

Published: 16 June, 2022

Octavian, the expert wine storage facility based in Wiltshire, is launching a new customer portal with a fully integrated exchange for its private customers.

Tech & Innovation: Going dark, building back

Published: 13 June, 2022

Digitalisation has been a long time coming within the wine industry. Often derided for its last-to-the-party pace of adoption, things finally seemed to be catching up at the beginning of the new decade, with acceleration a key part of the trade’s Covid journey.

Ukrainian vodka supports fundraising for British Red Cross Ukraine Appeal

Published: 11 March, 2022

Emporia, a spirits importer, is teaming up with several bars across the UK to serve cocktails with the Ukrainian Vodka ‘Staritsky Levitsky, Private Cellar’.

Online drinks sales growth cools, but remains far above pre-pandemic levels

Published: 10 March, 2022

Online sales of alcoholic drinks fell -18.5% YoY in the UK in February 2022, though nudged up 9.4% against those in the typically slow first month of January.

Aldi launches vegan favourites pack to cater for plant-based shoppers

Published: 07 March, 2022

After seeing sales of plant-based products soar 500% during Veganuary, Aldi has launched a new Vegan Favourites wine pack. The online-only bundle includes six of Aldi’s most popular premium vegan wines. The selection includes a mixture of reds, whites and rosés, all free from animal products, for just £59.44 – less than £10 per bottle.

Morrisons among UK retailers to boycott Russian vodka

Published: 04 March, 2022

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, there have been calls to boycott Russian brands with the country’s most famous commodity, vodka, on the radar of UK retailers.

Berry Bros. & Rudd launches its first podcast series

Published: 04 March, 2022

Fine wine and spirits merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd has launched its first podcast, Drinking Well, a six-part series designed to help listeners enjoy and shape their wine collection.

January online retail growth lowest ever as BWS sales fall

Published: 15 February, 2022

January saw the lowest rate of online retail growth ever at a slump of -24.4%, according to the IMRG Capgemini Online Retail Index, which tracks the online sales performance for over 200 retailers. At category level, beer, wine and spirits fell even further, reaching an average of -26.6%.

Connected packaging could become 'main' marketing bridge to customers

Published: 03 February, 2022

More and more brands are using QR codes and smartphone apps to transform simple packaging into digital experiences.

Green Wine Future launches podcast series

Published: 03 February, 2022

The organisers of environmental conference initiative Green Wine Future 2022 have launched a new podcast tackling “the most important sustainability and climate crisis response issues in the wine industry.”

Generation sobriety turns to fine wine for alternative investments

Published: 03 February, 2022

Gen Z investors are turning to fine wine to boost their finances in the wake of the pandemic.

Online uplift to grow

Published: 23 December, 2021

Ecommerce is to remain a key driver of value growth in global alcoholic drinks markets, with wine to the fore. Andrew Catchpole reports.

BWS online sales flatline in the run up to Christmas

Published: 13 December, 2021

The BWS category suffered one of its poorest performances on record in November, plummeting -21.4% versus the same month in 2020, as consumers rushed out of their houses to socialise and shop ahead of the fear of potential new December 2021 lockdowns.