Matthew Clark sees British drinks soar in popularity

By Gemma McKenna

Published: 21 October, 2014

On-trade drinks supplier Matthew Clark has seen sales of English wines soar by 53% in the past year, with home-grown beers and spirits following suit.

The group says the trend coincides with increasing consumer demand for products with local provenance.

Matthew Clark Matthew Clark is enjoying growth in British-made drinks

In March 2013 it boosted its English wine range with Kent producer Chapel Down, and has seen English wines grow in fine dining, prestige and boutique hotels. These have all seen double-digit year-on-year growth in English wine sales.

Sales of UK beers and spirits have also grown by 13% year-on-year. Earlier this year Matthew Clark extended its boutique beers range in response to the growth in craft beer in the on-trade. Sales of Meantime have jumped 168% while Curious beer, brewed by Chapel Down, has seen sales rocket by 1173%.

Domestically-distilled spirits such as Chase Potato Vodka has seen sales increase by 77%, and Sipsmith Sipping and London Dry Gin - are up 254% collectively. The supplier says much of the growth is driven by quality food-led venues.

Matthew Clark's commercial director Ian Smith said: "We see locally-produced beers, wines, and spirits as a key trend to watch. For several years, locally-sourced food has been firmly in the spotlight, and we are seeing this trend growing in drinks as well. Consumers, particularly when visiting higher-end establishments, are increasingly demanding drinks with local heritage and provenance and Matthew Clark has responded to this by expanding our range of home grown beers, wines and spirits to satisfy this demand."

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