The UK’s favourite wine supermarket

By Lisa Riley

Published: 05 August, 2019

Working together with Wines Direct, Harpers brings you the results of a huge survey into Britain’s wine-buying habits. Lisa Riley reports

Harpers has partnered with Wines Direct to bring you the results of the 2019 Wines Direct Consumer Awards, alongside new insight into consumer behaviour in relation to wine, drawn from the responses of more than 1,700 UK shoppers.

Shoppers from across the country were given the chance to vote for their favourite wine supermarket, independent merchant, large merchant and blogger. But their feedback also provided valuable insights into how and where consumers are shopping for their wine (and other drinks). Harpers reveals these insights below, alongside the results of the awards.

WINNER: WAITROSE

Waitrose was awarded the top spot thanks mainly to its highly praised selection of wine. Despite there being less of a price focus for Waitrose, people still mentioned that the upmarket supermarket has “good discounts, which means they can purchase very high-quality wines for a reasonable price at times”. An impressive 90% of shoppers said they would recommend Waitrose.

Highly commended: M&S, Tesco, Asda

M&S

A huge 91% of M&S shoppers shop in-store. As with Waitrose, they credit the selection of wine as most important (58%), with the price of wine being the least important factor (26%). ‘Other’ comments included that “there are unusual and high-quality wines available” and that it is “a little bit of luxury”. A strong 88% of shoppers would recommend M&S to a friend.

ALDI

Aldi has the highest percentage of ‘in-store’ shoppers, with 95% opting to do so. Their overwhelming reason for shopping at Aldi was stated as “the wine prices are reasonable” (83%). This also comes across in the comments, where shoppers stated that the “prices are great” and that they find “good value and quality”. A massive 97% of shoppers would recommend Aldi to a friend.

TESCO

A total of 70% of respondents stated that they shopped with Tesco and the majority of these (82%) choose to shop in-store. When asked what motivated the consumer to shop at this store, the overwhelming response was that “the wine prices are very reasonable” (60%). This was closely followed by the “selection of wine is good” (47%), with 87% of those who shopped at Tesco saying they would recommend the retailer to a friend.

SAINSBURY’S

Comparable to Tesco, a huge 86% of those who shop at Sainsbury’s choose to shop in-store. Their most popular reason, however, is that “the selection of wine is good” (59%). This contrasts with Tesco, where the price is a more defining factor. People stated in the ‘other’ comments that “there are wines here you cannot find anywhere else”. This might indicate that Sainsbury’s shoppers are more concerned with the quality of the wine they are buying. When asked if they would recommend Sainsbury’s to a friend, 87% of its shoppers said yes.

WAITROSE

Like Sainsbury’s, Waitrose shoppers also voted “the selection of wine” as their most defining reason to shop there (82%). The price of the wine came out as the least important buying factor (28%). Other comments included “the quality is good”, “unusual finds” and “good selection of fine wines”, which all indicate shoppers at Waitrose take their wine-buying decisions very seriously. A huge 90% of shoppers would recommend Waitrose to their friends.

ASDA

82% of shoppers at Asda choose to shop in-store. Their main reasons for doing so are that “the prices of wine are reasonable” (71%) and “it’s easy to find what I’m looking for” (45%). This second response indicates that Asda’s shoppers are loyal. The low prices are also mentioned a lot in the ‘other’ comments, with people stating that “they often have very, very good offers” and “good wines available at cheap prices”. Equal to Waitrose, 90% of shoppers at Asda would recommend the store.

LIDL

Lidl is the only supermarket in the group which doesn’t offer shopping online. As with Aldi, the overwhelming reason people choose to shop at Lidl is the price of its wine (81%). This is followed by the selection of wine (42%). Again, and not surprisingly, the value and low-price factor is called out in the comments.

MORRISONS

The last supermarket in our survey was Morrisons. Much like the others, a high percentage choose to shop in-store (92%). The price of wine came out as the most important factor for those shopping at Morrisons (66%), closely followed by the selection of wine (54%). A total of 89% of respondents would recommend Morrisons to a friend.

Both the selection of wine and its price point are key drivers for supermarket wine shoppers. These are closely followed by the proximity of the supermarket to where someone lives or works. There is a clear focus on price and value for money over service received, with people often purchasing wine in the supermarket alongside other items.

WINE BLOGS

We asked consumers to vote for their favourite blog based on three main factors:

It’s entertaining

It’s informative

It helps my wine-purchasing decisions

WINNER: QUENTIN SADLER’S WINE PAGE

Comments:

“Quentin loves to uncover excellent wines from

more obscure regions, for which I am personally

very grateful.”

“Quentin’s wine pages are written with enthusiasm and passion.”

“Quentin makes the whole wine-discovery and tasting process so much fun and easy to understand. And there are some great photos on the blog.”