To help independents and suppliers work together more effectively Harpers hosted an open trade debate to see the difference the Best Practice Guidelines are having on day-to-day business.
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Bibendum's acquisition of UK drinks rival PLB and the merger of both businesses has created a supergroup, complete with five divisions, catering to the on and off-trades, independents, specialist beer and spirits and events sectors.
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Ex-Somerfield head of wine Angela Mount questions the impact on BWS of the lack of a long-term strategy at Tesco, as the retailer struggles to manage the consequences of its financial scandal.
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Leading analysts and trade experts are divided over whether the Tesco accounting scandal will have ramifications for the wider trade. Some say there will be "no change whatsoever" in the retail landscape, while others say the change will be "seismic".
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Angela Mount, ex-Somerfield buyer, gives her view on what is happening at Tesco and other major retailers as a result of the financial scandal and director suspensions.
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Wine suppliers call for clarity over where multiples are headed next, as the Tesco scandal claims its first wine executive.
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"It's been a long time coming, and if fear were the basis on which decisions were made, then Ataraxia would never have been born," says South African winemaker, Kevin Grant of his latest, patiently-maturing winemaking venture.
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Fiona Griffiths talks to entrepreneur Peter Borg-Neal about his 10-strong (and growing) Hertfordshire-based group of pubs and restaurants, Oakman Inns.
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Tesco has taken a bit of a battering in recent months, with profits slipping and then the little matter of the £250 million profit overstatement. But although Tesco is in the spotlight, there are issues for all of the major retailers right now, as the discounters go from strength to strength and the Big Four's choke hold on the market weakens. Harpers.co.uk spoke to some of the wine trade's key suppliers and ex-buyers to find out their views.
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The festive season is still the key trading period for sparkling wines. What do producers, brand owners, multiples and merchants expect from sparkling wines this year?
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The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP) has been around since the 18th century and president Manuel de Novaes Cabral tells Erin Smith he still sees his mission intrinsically linked to helping protect Portuguese wine and particularly Port.
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Think of Fuller's and you think of beer. The west London-based group owns nearly 400 pubs and hotels, and the guest beer and take-home market has made its London Pride one of the most popular ale brands in the UK, writes Nigel Huddleston.
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Last week the Alliance des Crus Bourgeois arrived in London for the fifth annual review of the wines deemed worthy to use the Cru Bourgeois seal of approval. Five years into the new incarnation of the classification Heather Dougherty reviews its successes and challenges - and looks at its prospects for the future.
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The economy of any agriculturally based industry can be dramatically affected by the weather, but what's the long-term forecast and what are the financial implications?
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Sogrape Vinhos, owner of one of the most recognisable Port brands in world, Sandeman, has been ever so quietly rebuilding the relationship that Britain has with Port, as he tells Erin Smith.
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Harpers has once again linked up with Wines Direct to analyse the shopping trends of consumers buying South American wines online.
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A celebration is nothing without a bottle of bubbly and Christmas is no exception. In the UK Prosecco and Cava remain strong, as consumers favour other sparklers over costly Champagne.
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The tapas craze helped boost sherry sales temporarily but the category is now in decline, and Port is still struggling to shake its fusty and festive image. Gemma McKenna and Erin Smith look at how fortified wines can carve a niche
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When it comes to driving best value at a lower cost there is a lot to learn from the Lidl buying philosophy, says Angela Mount
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The new "Lidl Surprises" tagline is the latest UK brand-positioning success story from the hard discounter. Gemma McKenna looks at how its buying strategies are now expanding its wine offer
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