Business & Finance - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Wine Society CEO joins WSTA board

Published: 30 June, 2026

Steve Finlan, CEO of The Wine Society, has joined the Executive Board of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA).

Gap between whisky and wine investments narrowing, according to WineCap

Published: 29 June, 2026

Fine wine investment platform WineCap has released analysis suggesting that the gap in confidence between fine wine and whisky investments is narrowing, with enthusiasm for the latter increasing significantly since 2023.

Hatch Mansfield shifts leadership structure as Knollys exits firm

Published: 25 June, 2026

Hatch Mansfield has announced that it is altering its leadership structure as CEO Patrick McGrath MW – who has led the importer since its foundation in 1994 – transitions to the role of chairman.

Kingsland Drinks extends Vinca partnership into aluminium bottles

Published: 23 June, 2026

Kingsland Drinks has announced that it will be bottling organic wine company Vinca’s wines in its aluminium bottles, in a move that it said had “further strengthened” the businesses’ partnership.

Curious Vines Change Series pushes for better inclusive hiring practices

Published: 22 June, 2026

Bringing together senior leaders from the UK wine trade, the organisers of the recent Curious Vines Change Series have called it the “first collective step” towards inclusive hiring best practice in the industry.

IWSR: Global alcohol consumption to continue decline, reviving next decade

Published: 11 June, 2026

IWSR – the beverage alcohol insights firm – is predicting global alcohol consumption to continue declining until 2031, though recovering to around its 2025 levels by 2035.

Exchange for Change announces DRS fees for return point operators

Published: 03 June, 2026

Exchange For Change has confirmed the fees to be paid to return point operators under the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) across England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

UKH decries increasing costs after youth inactivity report

Published: 29 May, 2026

UK Hospitality (UKH) has responded to the recent Milburn review interim report on youth unemployment, saying that it demonstrates “the damaging impact of increasing costs on job opportunities”.

LWF: Beale highlights need for more compelling ‘hospitality and supply chain lobby’

Published: 19 May, 2026

Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) chief executive Miles Beale used a platform at the opening of this year’s London Wine Fair (LWF) to call for an ongoing and urgent drink and hospitality industry reset with regard to lobbying government.

WineCap research details shifting investor motivations

Published: 18 May, 2026

New research released by investment platform WineCap shows that the motivations behind why investors are choosing fine wine have shifted over the past four years.

Adrian Brice appointed head of buying at WineCap

Published: 12 May, 2026

WineCap has appointed Adrian Brice as its new head of buying, giving him responsibility for all purchasing decisions made by the investment platform and its sister company Westgarth Wines.

US saw -5% decline in beverage alcohol consumption in 2025

Published: 12 May, 2026

Total consumption of beverage alcohol in the US declined by -5% during 2025, according to new data released by the IWSR.

Matthew Clark and Bibendum finalise full merger

Published: 11 May, 2026

C&C Group has today announced the merger of distributors Matthew Clark and Bibendum into a single entity – Matthew Clark Bibendum (MCB).

Campari posts growth in Q1, though below market expectations

Published: 08 May, 2026

Campari Group has unveiled its growth figures for Q1, with the Italian drinks giant seeing a +2.9% rise in organic growth. Despite the uplift, this figure did not reach the anticipated +5.1% growth figure markets expected for the company.

UK Hospitality urges government to provide energy support for sector

Published: 08 May, 2026

In a letter to the chancellor, UK Hospitality has proposed six measures that the government could implement to help hospitality businesses through increasing energy costs.

Diageo sees unexpected increase in Q3 growth under new CEO

Published: 07 May, 2026

Diageo has released its Q3 (ending 31 March 2026) trading statement, detailing a +0.3% organic growth in net sales and +0.4% organic growth in volume year-on-year. This coincides with Diageo’s new CEO Sir Dave Lewis’ first full quarter in the role, having taken the helm on 1 January 2026.

STA calls on incoming MSPs to ensure support for hospitality

Published: 05 May, 2026

The Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) has released an open letter addressed to Scotland’s next MSPs just days before the Scottish Parliamentary election, due to take place this Thursday (7 May).

Grupo Peñaflor-owner scales up with acquisition of Off-Piste Wines

Published: 30 April, 2026

International holding company Terold Invest – which controls Grupo Peñaflor and WX Wines – has announced the acquisition of Cheltenham-based brand developer and distributor Off-Piste Wines.

Renewed strike action to take place at Encirc plant

Published: 29 April, 2026

Over 100 workers at bottle manufacturer and filler Encirc's Elton plant are planning to stage further strikes (from 3-15 May and 1-15 June), after previous action finished yesterday (28 April).