Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Dramatic rise in Franciacorta sales

Published: 09 February, 2022

Italy's premier traditional method fizz saw encouraging sales growth in 2021, jumping beyond pre-pandemic levels to a record 20.3 million bottles.

Ecommerce to remain key driver as US online alcohol sales hit $6.1 billion

Published: 04 February, 2022

Ecommerce is becoming a major force in global retail, with online sales of BWS achieving a total value of $6.1 billion in the US market last year.

Cotswolds Distillery announces plans for 'major expansion'

Published: 01 February, 2022

Leading craft spirit producer Cotswolds Distillery has unveiled plans to construct a new dedicated distillery for its whisky, allowing the firm to dramatically increase production.

South Africa's wine industry “must adapt to survive”

Published: 21 January, 2022

Wine oversight body Vinpro has urged South Africa’s winegrowers to use the pandemic crisis as an opportunity “to revive, recover and rebuild,” adapting current business models to better cope with a rapidly changing world.

Bordeaux Index announces record sales growth in 2021

Published: 19 January, 2022

Leading fine wine and spirits merchant Bordeaux Index posted a record sales value of $174m (£128m)in 2021, with turnover rising by almost 50% year on year.

Online uplift to grow

Published: 23 December, 2021

Ecommerce is to remain a key driver of value growth in global alcoholic drinks markets, with wine to the fore. Andrew Catchpole reports.

BWS online sales flatline in the run up to Christmas

Published: 13 December, 2021

The BWS category suffered one of its poorest performances on record in November, plummeting -21.4% versus the same month in 2020, as consumers rushed out of their houses to socialise and shop ahead of the fear of potential new December 2021 lockdowns.

Shifting sales

Published: 29 November, 2021

With ‘shop local’ boosting convenience stores and premium on the rise, Angela Mount rounds up the changes wrought on and by the multiple retail sector.

Vinpro calls on SA government to make sustainable policies to help recovery

Published: 08 November, 2021

The South African wine industry has called on the Government to include sustainability in its plans to help in the recovery and growth of the sector and country.

Aperol supremacy continues to drive UK growth for Campari

Published: 26 October, 2021

The UK has been trading positively showing a “solid performance” with sales up 42.5% for the first nine months of 2021, Campari Group has revealed.

The fast supper: The new pace of casual dining

Published: 26 October, 2021

Jo Gilbert reports from last month’s Casual Dining Show, where the FutureFoodservice report, The Rebuilding of Hospitality, predicted the shift of the sector towards faster, ‘social re-fuelling’ occasions

UK in ‘good growth’ for Pernod Ricard

Published: 21 October, 2021

Pernod Ricard has revealed it has seen a very ‘dynamic start’ in all regions for the first quarter of FY22, with robust demand and strong shipments ahead of the festive season.

UK brands soar in value but still trail global giants

Published: 29 September, 2021

The UK’s leading brands are showing positive signs of recovery in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, leaping in value by 22% to reach a new record high of $278.8 (£207 billion), according to Kantar’s BrandZTM Most Valuable UK Brands 2021 ranking. However, growth rates show they are lagging behind the biggest global brands.

Continued plantings spell new growth for English vino at Wine GB

Published: 06 September, 2021

Continued plantings across England and Wales are expected to insulate the growing England and Welsh wine industry against climate issues and smaller-than-usual crop sizes.

Cocktails: Cans win for on-the-move

Published: 02 September, 2021

Ready-to-drink cocktails continue to grow in popularity despite the reopening of the on-trade. Lisa Riley reports.

Pubs and restaurants to bounce back “with a vengeance” in 2022-2024

Published: 29 June, 2021

A total of £3.1bn growth is expected for the UK eating and drinking out market from 2022-24, new data has forecasted, with pubs and restaurants set to claim a £1.3bn share.

Delivery and takeaway has legs as May sales boom

Published: 17 June, 2021

CGA’s latest Hospitality at Home Tracker shows that takeaway and delivered sales from restaurant and pub groups in GB were 273% higher in May this year versus May 2019, despite the return of eating indoors in the second half of the month.

Online sales still booming

Published: 15 June, 2021

Sales of alcohol online have remained strong despite the fuller opening of the on-trade, signalling how buying BWS online has become a way of life during the pandemic, as Jo Gilbert reports.

Hospitality predicted to bounce back and exceed 2019 sales in 2022

Published: 10 June, 2021

The total eating and drinking out market is expected to see 44.7% YOY growth in 2022, the equivalent value of almost £92bn and surpassing its 2019 value growth as pent up demand is set to give the sector a boost in its recovery from the pandemic.

Guy Woodward: Why we need underdogs

Published: 18 May, 2021

The European Super League was always doomed to failure. Think about it from a wine perspective. It would be like a region – in France, say – initiating a system whereby its châteaux were ranked purely on the basis of how much their wines cost, maybe put into mini ‘divisions’, and then this classification being set in stone in perpetuity, regardless of any change in quality on the part of either the incumbents’ wines or those of any would-be challengers. Surely it would never last…