Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

More late stage delay for Scottish DRS

Published: 16 December, 2022

A Gateway Review into the already pushed back Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for Scotland has concluded that the scheme won’t be fit to launch by August 2023.

Low & no growth in the fast lane to 2026

Published: 16 December, 2022

Low & no drinks are set to accelerate over the coming years, the IWSR has revealed, with analysts predicting that consumption will increase by a third by 2026, exceeding earlier growth rates.

Friday read: Not a match – why is sherry failing to find its groove?

Published: 25 November, 2022

November and December is the time when fortifieds come out to play. At least, they do in the press. Probably 90% of port and sherry’s column inches occur in the month before Christmas.

Teetotal PM headed for No. 10

Published: 24 October, 2022

It’s likely that alcohol will play little to no role in the celebrations in the Sunak household this evening, as the UK prepares for a new – and perhaps its first ever teetotal Prime Minster – in Number 10.

Harpers' 30 Under 30 winners announced

Published: 06 June, 2022

What a couple of years the trade has had. What ups and downs. During the worst months of Covid, we’re sure there are some who felt a bit like Midas’s barber in the ancient tales. Forced under pain of death to keep his master’s secret – that the former Greek king was hiding a pair of donkey’s ears beneath his hat – the unfortunate barber was only able to vent by taking himself to a bed of reeds and screaming that the king had, indeed, become part-ass.

Beefed up buying power clinches Gérard Bertrand exclusivity at Bibendum

Published: 04 March, 2022

Bibendum Wines has won the exclusive rights to distribute the wines of Southern French pioneer Gérard Bertrand in the UK, Harpers can reveal.

British office workers excited about return to pub lunch occasions

Published: 03 February, 2022

Despite the inevitable trepidation surrounding the Omicron variant, 85% of British office workers say they are looking forward to a return to the office and getting to spend more time with colleagues – with work social events high on the agenda.

Guidance offered on new food calorie labelling regulations, which folds in no and low drinks

Published: 31 January, 2022

New legislation is set to be implemented this year, requiring businesses with over 250 employees to display calories information for food products sold to consumers.

Cold Christmas in the on-trade

Published: 18 January, 2022

Already battered on-trade businesses suffered further in what should have been their busiest time of year. Clinton Cawood reports.

Soapbox: Duty to change

Published: 14 January, 2022

With time fast ticking, Liberty Wines director of insights & business development, Alex Linsley, shares his company’s deep concerns around the government alcohol duty review, which is under consultation until 30 January 2022.

A year in review: The 2021 challenge

Published: 20 December, 2021

James Lawrence picks out the highs and lows of another history-making year.

Hennings welcomes Delta Estate into fold

Published: 13 December, 2021

Hennings Wine Merchants has taken the first shipment from its new partnership with Delta Estate Wines in Marlborough.

Tim Atkin MW: Time for honesty about alcohol

Published: 13 December, 2021

“People like to masturbate.” As first sentences go, this one certainly snares your attention. It’s not the only remarkable thing about Edward Slingerland’s new book Drunk: How We Sipped, Danced and Stumbled our Way to Civilization (£25, Little Brown, Spark). Nor is the author some ill-informed polemicist looking to generate a few headlines. Slingerland is Professor of Philosophy at the University of British Columbia.

Vega Sicilia moves into Galicia

Published: 29 November, 2021

One of Spain's most prestigious labels has set its sights on producing white wines in the Galicia region, according to the Spanish press.

Rosé's global success ‘partly based on luck’, says UK buyer

Published: 25 November, 2021

The triumphant march of the rosé category cannot solely be attributed to the marketing genius of its key stakeholders, according to Jeroboams wine director Peter Mitchell MW.

Soapbox: Richard Lloyd at The Park makes the case for agile supply chains

Published: 22 November, 2021

We hear from Richard Lloyd, general manager for European operations and supply chain at The Park, the hub of Accolade Wines’ European operations and an independent business in its own right, on how the industry can work together to overcome its supply chain difficulties

UKHospitality urges backing for Hospitality Apprenticeships Week

Published: 18 October, 2021

UKHospitality (UKH) has urged the sector to use Hospitality Apprenticeships Week 2021 as a platform to champion the diverse and exciting careers on offer.

Late-night sector loses 86,000 jobs due to pandemic

Published: 13 October, 2021

The UK’s night-time cultural economy (NTCE) sector has been ravaged by the pandemic, with around 86,000 jobs lost in the sector since the 2019 high, a new report has found.