Waitrose moves into English fizz production

Harpers.co.uk can exclusively reveal Waitrose plans to be the first UK retailer to plant vines in England and produce its own sparkling wine to hit the shelves in 2014.

Youngest MW joins Waitrose BWS team

Ken Mackay MW has joined the Waitrose wine buying team.

Waitrose triumphs at IWSC awards

Supermarket group Waitrose won both the wine buyer and spirits buyer of the year awards at last night's IWSC awards ceremony.

Waitrose stores see double-digit wine growth

UK: The new store in Marylebone, London, which opened on 1 June 2007, has seen fine wine value sales increase by 65% in the second week and 71% in the store's third week after opening.

Floods don't dampen Waitrose results

Waitrose has reported a 2.7% rise in sales for the first half despite bad weather in June and July.

Waitrose to open ethical store

Waitrose is to go head-to-head with American rival Whole Foods Market by launching its first premium supermarket in London.

Waitrose raises supplier standards

Waitrose is raising standards within its supply chains through a new ethical trading manual.

Waitrose buyers set for stardom

Wine buyers at Waitrose will appear in the retailer's latest TV commercial.

Stone, Vine & Sun founder takes Waitrose buying job

Andrew Shaw, one of the co-directors of award-winning distance seller Stone, Vine & Sun, is to join the buying team at Waitrose.

Waitrose backs New World

Waitrose is giving the New World a boost with a New World Wine Showcase to be held in all branches from 4 to 24 September.

Profile - Mark Williamson, Mr Waitrose

Suggest to Mark Williamson that Waitrose is middle-class, and he quivers. It's so remarkable that it's worth saying again - and he quivers again. The phrase middle-class' is clearly a tricky one: he prefers the description people who appreciate good food and wine, regardless of what car they're driving'.

Waitrose responds

Waitrose has said in a statement that the letter it sent out to suppliers ahead of the Chancellor's budget (see Harpers 10 March, page 3) does not ask suppliers to bear the cost of the duty. It simply asks them to think in advance about how they would like us to treat their ranges and to initiate discussions with buyers'.

Waitrose puts the squeeze on

Waitrose - widely regarded as the most benign of the multiple retailers - has asked its wine suppliers to prepare to absorb any duty increase in the Chancellor's budget or see their on-shelf price points rise.

Howard-Sneyd in at Waitrose

South Africa is the priority for Waitrose's new wine buyer Justin Howard-Sneyd MW, who has replaced Simon Thorpe MW.
Howard-Sneyd did three vintages in the Rainbow Nation in the mid-1990s at the time of the regime change, but he has not been back since, except for a week's honeymoon when it rained throughout.

Waitrose teams up with AIM

Upmarket multiple Waitrose has teamed up with Alcohol in Moderation to produce an eight-page guide called Alcohol and You, which answers the most frequently asked questions derived from a five-year survey of consumer queries.

Two MWs out; two MWs in at Waitrose

Waitrose has replaced two departing MWs - buyer Simon Thorpe MW and wine information manager Julia Harding MW - with two more graduates of the Institute of Masters of Wine.

Thorpe leaves Waitrose for Western

Simon Thorpe MW is leaving Waitrose to join Western Wines. He leaves later this year after eight years in the wine buying department of the John Lewis Partnership grocery multiple.

WILLIAMSON TAKES OVER AT WAITROSE

Mark Williamson will be succeeding Derek Strange as head of buying for wines, beers, spirits and tobacco at Waitrose.

WAITROSE BUYER PREDICTS END FOR SYNTHETIC CORK

By Jack Hibberd

WAITROSE PLUGS SCREWCAPS