Aldi goes head to head with Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason with premium wine offering

Aldi is not just taking on major grocery chains, but looking to compete directly with high-end retailers like Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason with a super premium wine and spirit offering in the run up to Christmas.

Supermarket and supplier relations at a "crossroads" warns Pernod Ricard UK chief

Relationships between major supermakets and their suppliers are now at a "crossroads" according to Denis O'Flynn, managing director of Pernod Ricard UK, and we should expect tighter regulations to bring more control over the sector.

Nielsen predicts grocery sales to decline by £1bn in 2014

As grocery sales fall for the third consecutive month, Nielsen predicts 2014 will herald an overall decline from £146 billion in 2013 to £145 billion.

UK grocery market declines for first time in 20 years, says Kantar WorldPanel

The ongoing price wars in the British grocery market have led sales to decline by 0.2% - the first decrease since market research firm Kantar World Panel began keeping records. 

France Summit video: UK trade figures on how to get the most out of French wine

The chance to understand the France wine category better, hear the views of leading UK buyers, distributors and retailers and meet like-minded people in the trade were some of the key reasons given by visitors  who attended last month's Harpers France Summit.

Wine designs fail if don't stand for something, Stranger & Stranger's Kevin Shaw tells Wine Vision

The secret to good brand design is for it to stand for something which is where wine often falls down as they just all "blur" into each other, according to Kevin Shaw, founder of design agency Stranger & Stranger.

Glenmorangie launches Dornoch in to World Duty Free

Glenmorangie Dornoch is being launched in to the travel retail sector from November 26 in an exclusive deal with the World Duty Free Group before being released across the duty free sector. 

Consumers are now "risk averse" Future Foundation tells Wine Vision

Simon McMurtrie opens Wine Vision with clarion call to industry

Simon McMurtrie, chief executive of Direct Wines, opened Wine Vision 2014 with a clarion call to the global wine industry to do all it can to get people to not only spend more on wine, but to buy a wider selection of wines.

Majestic profits slip on the back of high investment costs

Majestic Wine's profits have slipped 10.5% to £8.5 million, although group sales are up 2.8% to £133.8 million in the first half of the year.

The Week That Was: top news, Q&As and opinion on Harpers.co.uk

In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, we have done a review of the top online news, financial news for the drinks trade, Q&As, and opinion stories.

The Vineyard in Dorking has an offer it wants its supppliers to refuse

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but not always.

Top wine brands choose Vente Privee as new route to market

Top name wine producers are using flash sales site Vente Privée to attract new consumers to their brands in the UK.

Hangingditch to attract 500 guests to Manchester Cathedral for annual wine fair

Hangingditch, the leading Manchester independent wine merchant, is expecting up to 500 guests to attend its annual consumer wine fair on Friday which also offers live classical musical and operatic singing in the impressive backdrop of the Manchester Cathedral.

Consumers win in UK supermarket wars as discounters continue to expand

Consumers are coming out ahead as the UK supermarket wars rage on and another discounter commits to expansion in the UK's highly competitive retail market.

Tesco bolsters wine team as it looks to improve quality and customer focus

Tesco has boosted its wine team with the addition of an assistant buyer and quality manager.

Conviviality Retail to expand into Scotland

Conviviality Retail, owner of the Bargain Booze and Wine Rack brands, has revealed plans to expand into Scotland with its half-yearly trading update broadly in line with last year.

China's Singles Day online spend surpasses $2 billion in first hour

China's Singles Day is the world's largest online shopping day of the year and today it smashed online spending records yet again hitting more than $2 billion spent online in the first hour.

Oddbins Ayo Akintola in his own words: Majestic is 'screwing' suppliers

Oddbins managing director Ayo Akintola describes Majestic's recent demand from suppliers for financial support for its new warehouse as "one of the shabbiest business decisions" in the past couple of decades in the UK wine industry. Here, in his own words, he responds to its actions:

Oddbins chief slams Majestic's supplier demands as 'morally repugnant'

Oddbins boss Ayo Akintola has ended 25 years of cordial relations with rival retailer Majestic in a hard-hitting comment for Harpers.co.uk in which he accuses the firm of "morally repugnant" and "shabby" behaviour after it called on suppliers to fund a new warehouse.