Tom Platt: ‘Looking Back, Forging Ahead’

By Harpers Editorial team

Published: 29 August, 2025

Liberty Wines CEO Tom Platt continues our summer Q&A series with a measured take on the challenges to the trade.

How has business been for you in the first half of 2025 and how do things compare to where you were last year?

We’re seeing good growth in key areas. We’ve built a huge amount of momentum as the year has gone on with customers who want to communicate and compete on provenance and quality. These customers are taking advantage of the training and expertise we can deliver and improving their wine sales.

What have been the biggest challenges and headaches so far this year and how have you sought to mitigate those?

Our customers face the biggest challenges; the ongoing challenge for everyone at Liberty Wines is to remain focused on supporting them. We know it is not easy for customers, whether they are running a wine shop in North Berwick or Edgbaston, or a restaurant in Notting Hill or Cardiff. Making sure we are really listening to them and offering solutions whilst nailing our service is critical. If we manage to do this in tandem with our customers then we can overcome most challenges and thrive together.

What are you most proud of achieving this year in terms of driving the business forward?

The portfolio, the team, and our impact as a business. The portfolio goes from strength to strength. We have just put the finishing touches to the September tasting selection and it has never looked more exciting. We continue to build a strong team, and I could not be prouder of the way everyone is pulling together and getting it right for our producers and customers. And last but by no means least, I want to highlight the steps we have made on sustainability. Liberty Wines were the first wine distribution company to attain carbon neutral status in 2014, and we went one step further by becoming Carbon Neutral plus in 2021. This year we have added solar panels to our Basingstoke warehouse (they’ve covered our offices in Clapham since 2021) and expanded the use of rail in our supply chain to reduce emissions. The carbon emissions associated with each £1 of wine we sell have now dropped by 39% since 2017… and there is plenty more to do!

Looking ahead to the second half of the year, what is the biggest cause for concern?

Complacency. There is so much opportunity for those who get things right for customers and we are well positioned to do that.

What single thing could the Government do to best improve trading conditions and the success of the drinks sector?

Listen. They didn’t on duty, they didn’t on EPR. And neither have helped. We need a government that listens to business so it can make the right decisions.

What trends are you seeing in the drinks’ world at the moment, and how do you expect that to change going into the autumn?

We try not to worry about trends. We focus on what we think is best for our customers and our producers and try not to get distracted by the latest passing bandwagon.

Any other predictions for the second half of the year?

I avoid predictions like I do trends. We know it has been unpredictable but there are opportunities for companies focused on their customers. We’ll stick to doing that and together with our producers we’ll deal with whatever comes along.

Quick fire questions…

France, Italy or Spain?

Italy

Georgia, Greece or UK?

Random mix! UK

‘Normal’ or ‘natural’ wine?

Normal

Cocktails or straight sippin’ spirits?

Straight

Mixologist or mix it at home?

Mixologist

Aperitif preference?