Borough Wines boosts team with two key hires

By Mathew Lyons

Published: 11 October, 2016

Independent London retailer Borough Wines & Beers has added two new senior appointments to its team as it continues its rapid expansion.

Matthew Hudson joins the company as consultant for education, training and events, and Mitchel Adams joins as its new retail operations manager and beer buyer.

Hudson has extensive experience across the trade, having held managerial roles for John Harvey & Sons, Allied Domecq, Oddbins and others since 1982. He joins Borough Wines & Beers from Plumpton College where he has taught for eight years, most recently leading its wine business course.

Hudson's appointment is in part in response to the growth in demand for innovative customer events. The company launched the first such session, a wine-blending masterclass, last month.

Muriel Chatel, founder and director of Borough Wines & Beers, said: "We are seeing an ever-increasing appetite for more - and more diverse - customer events. With Matthew's help, we're developing a programme of tastings, classes and workshops to meet this demand."

Hudson will also be responsible for internal training across the expanding business.

"Matthew's knowledge and experience in both the trade and wine education, mean he is also ideally placed to oversee the training and development of our staff, which is increasingly important as the company grows," Chatel said.

Mitchel Adams joins Borough Wines & Beers with some 20 years' experience in the pub and hospitality sector. He was formerly general manager for the London Brewing Co and is a member of the British Guild of Beer Writers and a regular judge at industry competitions.

Mitchel Adams, Borough Wines & Spirits

He will be responsible for managing retail operations across the eight Borough Wines & Beers shops, as well as developing the merchant's beer and cider range.

Adams will also oversee the November launch of the company's Brewery Below guest-brewer collaboration project.

Chatel said: "We're delighted to welcome Mitchel on board as a specialist in beer and ciders. His extensive experience and expertise will be instrumental in shaping and growing our offering on that front."

Borough Wines & Beers was named Independent Retailer of the Year at the Drinks Business Awards 2016 and awarded the title of IWC Regional Merchant of the year for London.

The company was founded by Chatel on a stall in Borough Market in 2002. It has added two stores in London in the last year, in Islington and Shoreditch, and plans to open another in Battersea early in 2017.

The company also operates a wholesale arm, Expression du Terroir, which supplies wine to the London on-trade and to other independent retailers.

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