Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

31 days of German Riesling winners announced

Published: 14 September, 2016

The annual push to promote Germany's most famous grape has come to an end, with additional categories created to reflect the quality of entrants.

Cocktail craze responsible for soaring sales of gin at Waitrose

Published: 19 August, 2016

Sales of gin at Waitrose are up 17% on last year thanks to a new wave of millennials discovering gin-based cocktails.

English wine going global

Published: 17 August, 2016

English wine has come fourth in a consumer poll for producing the best quality wine in the eyes of the public.

Waitrose launches first Andalucían wine in UK supermarkets

Published: 01 August, 2016

Waitrose will this month launch ANDA, a new wine from Andalucía, into 77 of its stores across the UK and Waitrose Cellar online - making it the only non-fortified wine from the region available at a UK supermarket.

Waitrose sales of German Riesling "soar" during 31 Days promotion

Published: 25 July, 2016

Waitrose has seen sales of Germany's most famous grape variety increase by 181% compared to the same period last year.

Waitrose introduces seven day payment terms for small suppliers

Published: 12 July, 2016

Waitrose announced it would be rolling out seven day payment terms for small suppliers in an industry leading move.

John Lewis pension costs lead to profits dip at Waitrose

Published: 05 July, 2016

Waitrose has seen its pre-tax profits take a dive thanks to pension costs associated with parent firm John Lewis.

Lidl and Aldi hit record high as top four lose market share

Published: 28 June, 2016

Grocery share figures show that the big four have lost market share on last year, while Lidl and Aldi hit a record high of 10.5% in combined market share.

Ehrmanns launches mini in response to demand for small format

Published: 27 June, 2016

Ehrmanns is beefing up its Beefsteak Club Argentinean brand with two new additions, including a single serve Beefsteak Club Mini Malbec in order to target the growing convenience sector.

AmazonFresh online offer launches

Published: 15 June, 2016

AmazonFresh officially launched yesterday in the UK taking on the major multiple retailers to grab market share in the online grocery market channel.

Gin now one in every three bottles of spirit sold at Waitrose

Published: 13 June, 2016

Waitrose has revealed that its top selling three spirits are now all gin - knocking out Pimm's from the top three - as the gin boom continues to gain ground.

Sales of English wine up 13% at Waitrose

Published: 31 May, 2016

Sales at Waitrose show that UK consumers are continuing to invest in home-grown wines, with sales increasingly year-by-year.

Digby aims to drive link between wine, sport and entertainment

Published: 24 May, 2016

Digby Fine English is focusing on creating "experiential links" between their customers and their wines as they release their Digby Leander Pink NV into the off-trade for the first time.

Spike in gin and rosé sales at Waitrose as bbq season kicks off

Published: 16 May, 2016

A surprisingly warm early start to May was reflected in an increase in sales of gin (up 15%) and rosé wine (up 39 per cent) at Waitrose.

Shake-up of Waitrose's Australian range

Published: 13 May, 2016

Waitrose is overhauling its Australian wine category, replacing 45% of the current range.

Seesaw effect in Tequila sales as customers trade-up on quality

Published: 27 April, 2016

"Unfairly maligned" Tequila is making a comeback with customers taking a less-but-better approach when it comes to selecting the Mexican tipple.

Kantar Worldpanel: Premium sales rise and Easter sales doubles market growth

Published: 05 April, 2016

Kantar Worldpanel figures show that premium sales have increased and market growth doubled posting the fastest growth since March of 2015, which may be good news for the wine category.

McGuigan Wines launches exclusive Family Release range in Waitrose

Published: 22 March, 2016

Australian winery McGuigan Wines has partnered with Waitrose on an exclusive range of wines under the Family Release brand.

Insights: Autumn tastings reveal long-term strategies for multiple retailers

Published: 05 November, 2015

Angela Mount hit many of the autumn multiple retailer tastings ahead of the Christmas trading period to get in-depth insight into each retailers different long-term strategies.