Waitrose sees sales of English wine soar

By Arabella Mileham

Published: 30 April, 2015

Sales of English wine at Waitrose nearly doubled in 2014, and the retailer has reported an increase of 177% in the last week.

The upmarket retailer, which stocks over 100 wines from England and Wales, saw sales up 95% in 2014, compared to 2013. It currently has a 60% market share in English wine sales, compared to the average overall market share of English wine of 7.7%.

The retailer said the figures proved customer passion and dedication is a winning formula for the success of home-grown wine.

Waitrose's English wine buyer Rebecca Hull MW, said the retailer had plans to increase its range with new wines and release of new vintages this year, including the 2012 vintage Brut from its own vineyard at Leckford Estate in Hampshire.

Waitrose

"We are thrilled that our market share is so high, and this is down to our customer's passion for locally grown produce," she said. "The success of English wine is a culmination of dedication and effort from some talented winemakers across the country who have gradually built the reputation of our wines from the ground up."

"There is a real momentum among the English wine industry right now, as new plantings come on stream and English winemakers perfect their art, so it's an exciting time to be involved in English wine and we're truly excited about the future. We'll be launching lots more new English wines over the coming months."

The retailer stocks wines from large producers including Nyetimber, Ridgeview and Chapel Down, across its estate, as well as smaller wineries that supply only local stores. It also has a range of English wines on its dedicated e-commerce site, Waitrose Cellar.

The figures were released ahead of English Wine Week between 23 - 30 May.

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