Looking Back, Forging Ahead Q&A: Andrew Lundy, Vino Wines

By Harpers Editorial team

Published: 19 December, 2024

Next up in our end of year trade talking heads is Andrew Lundy, director and owner of Edinburgh-based Vino Wines, as he reflects on remaining competitive in a challenging environment.

What have you put in place to maximise Christmas trading and what are the early indications so far?

Our new website has been a six-month project to improve integration and customers. The build up to Christmas is always about increasing stockholding. So far, sales are doing well. November was good and the start to December has seen orders steadily grow already.

What, for you, were the specific highs of 2024?

Closing a store shouldn’t be under the heading of a high, but making positive changes to improve the business with reactions to the market has helped improve our offering.

And the lows?

We closed a shop in a residential part of the city, and that had been on the cards since pre-Covid. Knowing it was the right move made it easier than expected both for the business and personally. The shop in the southside of Edinburgh was where I started my journey in wine with Threshers back in the late 1990s. Once the decision was made, it’s just a process.

How have the specific challenges of this year contributed to wider drinks trends?

We have absolutely seen brands and well-known regions/grapes become more prominent on customers’ radars recently. The choice in harder times seems to be going for the dependable Medoc or Rioja over a Greek natural wine. For spirits and beers, the trend is the same: craft beer has still a strong following, but the gin and malt customer wants safety in what they buy, and known brands provide that.

With the duty easement likely to end in February, how are you looking to mitigate the impact of rising duty on business?

For me, there is no mitigating. We don’t have margin in the bank to erode away and massage the facts. The customer pays more at the till or we have to bring in different wines. We have always had a very flexible range and almost no wine is sacred to the shelves. If viability changes then we will move on to something else.

As a business, what positives are you looking forward to in 2025?

I had hoped that a general election might settle the economy and have an impact on customer confidence. That is now starting to show some change, but we also need the return to office spaces to continue. With city centre stores and city centre rates/rent, we need city centre footfall back. Tourism continues to be a boost in Edinburgh with the season lasting much longer.

Quick fire questions:

Ultimate turkey pairing wine?

Chardonnay and Oak

Ultimate wine turkey

Le Piat d’Or

Most overrated spirit?

Gin with luminescent colouring

Most underrated spirit?

Homemade sloe gin

Chardonnay or Riesling?

Riesling

Port or sherry?