Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Waitrose claims UK supermarket first with ‘wine in a tube’

Published: 15 April, 2020

Waitrose has claimed a UK supermarket first with the launch of a fully recyclable ‘wine in a tube’ range.

Off-Piste appoints former Waitrose and Co-op buyer

Published: 17 January, 2020

Off-Piste Wines has appointed former Waitrose and Co-op buyer Maria Elener as sourcing and supplier manager for Europe.

Lidl claims ‘value for money’ supermarket gong

Published: 21 November, 2019

Lidl has been awarded the Wotwine supermarket wine retailer gong based on delivering best value for money for consumers, making it the fourth year in a row for the discounter to claim the title.

Waitrose creates new top tier range

Published: 11 October, 2019

Waitrose has launched a top tier own-label range that includes wine, spirits and ciders.

Waitrose unveils refillable wine

Published: 05 June, 2019

Waitrose is trialling refillable wine at its Oxford Botley Road store, as part of a drive to cut down on packaging.

Waitrose launches new “experimental” range of wine

Published: 16 May, 2019

Waitrose is launching nine new own label wines from “lesser-known” grape varieties.

Mirabeau en Provence launch cans of rosé into Waitrose

Published: 16 May, 2019

Mirabeau-en-Provence has revealed the launch of Pret-a-Porter, a 13% abv rosé in a can, into 250 Waitrose stores on 20 May 2019. It will retail at £3.49.

Waitrose adds first English ‘orange’ wine to menu

Published: 03 May, 2019

Waitrose has expanded its English wine menu with seven new offerings, including its first homegrown ‘orange’ wine.

Q&A: Xenia Irwin MW, Waitrose Cellar

Published: 07 March, 2019

Xenia Irwin MW, wine buyer at Waitrose Cellar is in revelatory mood as she shares her passion for her job – and some childhood memories.

Waitrose introduces 100 new lines to bolster premium position

Published: 12 October, 2018

“Functional booze is not our game. We need to tell a story,” says Pierpaolo Petrassi, head of buying, beers, wines and spirits at Waitrose.

Waitrose at forefront of organic wine boom

Published: 21 August, 2018

Waitrose has revealed that organic wine sales are up 57% year-on-year as customers look for more sustainable wines.

An extra £500m investment in product and service innovation could put Waitrose ahead of the game

Published: 03 July, 2018

Store closures and profit warnings have become death knells for retailers on struggling high streets, and there was concern last week when Waitrose announced it is shutting five of its 353 stores.

Waitrose claims UK supermarket first with Japanese gin

Published: 19 February, 2018

Waitrose has claimed a UK supermarket first with the launch of a gin made in Japan.

Think Rum reveals this year’s winners

Published: 05 February, 2018

Think Rum revealed the winners of this year’s awards at the second annual event held last week, with Sly Augustin taking the prestigious Rum Champion of the Year gong and the Best Individual Rum Bar award.

Waitrose wine sales soar

Published: 14 September, 2017

Waitrose has revealed that its wine sales for the week ending 9 September were up by more than 31% on the same period last year driven by promotions.

British liqueur gains national listing

Published: 24 August, 2017

UK-made blackurrant liqueur, British Cassis, has secured its first national listing with Waitrose and will also be appearing on the shelves of Majestic.

Waitrose boxes clever with premium Provence launch

Published: 07 July, 2017

Waitrose is launching a selection of premium bag-in-box wines to tap into convenient drinking trends.

Sales of fizz breaks Christmas barrier of 45 million bottles for first time

Published: 06 March, 2017

Sales of sparkling set yet another benchmark in the run up to Christmas, with sparkler-hungry Brits quaffing 10% more than usual in the off-trade and 37% in the on-trade.

Supermarket sweep: A week in review

Published: 17 February, 2017

On the international stage, the big news this week has been dominated by an increasingly maddening number of acronyms and portmanteaus - CETA, Brexit, TTIP - as the top echelon of global businesses and governments on both sides of the Atlantic make decisions which will impact the immediate future of the trade.