Exclusive: New head of Jascots

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 30 June, 2023

A major change in leadership is in the offing at distributor Jascots Wine Merchants, where long-standing managing partner Miles MacInnes is stepping down after 17 years at the company.

Harpers can reveal that Miles Platt will be taking over on 21 August as head of sales at the distributor, as well as becoming head of on-trade at parent company, Freixenet Copestick. He will be reporting directly to Helena Martin, who acts as overall sales director of Freixenet Copestick, and Miles MacInnes will stay on for a while to ensure a smooth handover.

Jascots should be familiar ground for Platt. He was head of sales at the distributor prior to its acquisition in 2020 and will be returning to his former role, but with ultimate responsibility, as MacInnes moves on to pastures new.

Read more: Jascots back with a vengeance

Platt has extensive experience in the wine trade and holds a “fantastic understanding of the Jascots business”, the company said in a statement.

MacInnes told Harpers he is delighted to hand the baton to Platt, who has a “wealth of experience” and is a “safe pair of his hands” to guide the company into the future. He will be stepping down as of tomorrow (1 July).

MacInnes led the company through a turbulent time, in recent years. As the company’s former sales & marketing director, MacInnes ended up purchasing a controlling stake in the agent/importer and distributor in 2016, in partnership with then MD John Charnock, in a career at Jascots which spanned almost 20 years.

On-trade focused Jascots then fell into administration during Covid, before being snapped up by Freixenet Copestick, which in turn is owned by Henkell Freixenet, the largest sparkling wine producer in the world, with 8% global share of the market.

Harpers can also reveal a change of leadership at Bolney Wine Estate in Sussex, which is also part of Freixenet Copestick.

Following Sam Linter’s exit, Bolney’s leadership will now officially be passed to GM James Davis MW, supported by winemaking, productions and operations manager, Cara Lee Dely.

For more on the future of Jascots, Bolney and Freixenet Copestick, refer to the lead profile in this month’s Harpers, out now online and in print.

Printer friendly version