Definitive figures from Kantar show just how much shopping habits changed in 2020, with spirits overtaking wine in baskets for the first time and online reaching hitherto unmatched heights, as Jo Gilbert discovers.
Spirits reached a major milestone in 2020, overtaking wine to become the largest category in terms of penetration in the off-trade for the first time in at least five years.
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In the year since the first hospitality shutdown, the sector has taken a battering with more than eight months of closure delivering a heavy blow.
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A new year is likely to bring new challenges for indies looking to hold on to new custom, as Andrew Catchpole reports.
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Nyetimber has reported a major spike in demand for rosé in 2020 from their south east England vineyards, despite the loss of social drinking occasions often associated with pink wines.
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Tim Atkin MW has revealed a perfect score for a wine for Rioja for the first time – and it’s a white.
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UK Hospitality chief Kate Nicholls has renewed calls for additional government support a year on from her first strategy meetings with ministers at the beginning of the pandemic.
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James Lawrence rounds up the highlights of the coming year’s events calendar
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In a very 2020 twist to the New Year, Harpers was welcomed into January with multiple power blackouts which cut all access to our email server.
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As we teeter on the edge of 2021, a new year and a fresh shot at health and prosperity for the drinks trade, Harpers would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas break in whatever form that takes this year.
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A record number of wine and spirit businesses have joined the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) this year following a recruitment drive bolstered by concerns over Covid and Brexit.
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Michael Saunders takes a deep dive into the challenges facing the trade as Andrew Catchpole catches up with Bibendum’s CEO and chair of the WSTA
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Fine wine has remained buoyant this year, with increased reliance on technology and automated trading helping the market to reach as yet unprecedented levels.
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Majestic Wine and Balfour Wines at Hush Heath Estate are following up the debut of their English wine partnership, with a sophomore release of limited edition labels.
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The drinks industry still has a way to go to being a more supportive place for those facing employment, mental health and inclusion issues, the Drinks Trust’s annual survey has found.
The survey, which aims to inform the objectives and support offered by the charity each year, found that 66% of respondents believe that diversity has remained the same in the industry in 2020, with only 29% receiving any kind of training on diversity and inclusion. A further 23% revealed they had faced discrimination due to race, gender, sexuality or disability in the workplace.
A new survey has revealed a rise in optimism among hospitality operators for the future of their business over the next 12 months, albeit from a very low threshhold – but representing a substantial increase from the third quarter of the year.
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International demand for New Zealand wine has surged over the past decade, with total export value now reaching a record-breaking NZ$2 billion in 2020.
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Producers of Beaujolais Nouveau have been left with no choice but to turn part of their crop into pure alcohol, it has been reported, after exports of wine from the region fell during the first nine months of the year.
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Naked Wines has seen pre-sales of its Deluxe Christmas Collection sky-rocket, with 40,000 cases being snapped up in the first 24 hours.
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There’s no escaping the imminent impact of lockdown 2.0 on on-trade Christmas sales, even if we go back to the tiered system in December.
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