Hospitality and leisure businesses face a fourfold increase in their bills, potentially adding tens of thousands of pounds to costs per venue, if business rates relief ends on 31 March.
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The Institute of Masters of Wine (IMW) has announced a new partnership with Areni Global, an independent think tank dedicated to the future of fine wine, which will see the two organisations collaborate on a range of initiatives aimed at advancing excellence and learning within the global wine community.
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Specialist wine importer, Hallgarten & Novum Wines, is continuing the steady expansion of its French portfolio with the addition of Champagne Palmer. Available immediately to the UK hospitality and retail sectors, the new addition is part of a significant business expansion plans in 2024 to boost Hallgarten’s trade offer, with a host of new additions being announced in recent weeks.
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UK wine importer Alliance Wine has acquired London-based old-world wine specialist H2Vin, aiming to merge their businesses in the coming months, Harpers can exclusively reveal.
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In recent years, Scotland has faced a worsening crisis of alcohol-related harm, as the number of deaths linked to alcohol consumption has surged. Despite being the first country in the world to introduce a Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) policy in 2018, the strategy has not achieved the expected results. Coupled with the Scottish government’s controversial plans to ban alcohol advertising, these initiatives have sparked a heated debate on the effectiveness of policy-driven approaches to reducing alcohol abuse.
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The chef and sommelier teams selected to compete in the 2024 UK finals of Copa Jerez have been revealed. The finalists are: Chef Will Stoyle and sommelier Zoé Donadio from the Silo x Apricity collaboration, Chef Stephen James Thompson and sommelier Cong Cong Bo from The Foraging Chef x Amphora Cambridge, and chef Lily Stock with sommelier Yuri Humphreys from Raffles London at the OWO.
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Back for another two days across London and Manchester, SITT Autumn promises to deliver another actioned packed event, with 50 exhibitors showcasing their wines and masterclasses presented by Dr Jamie Goode, Sarah Abbott MW and Isa Bal MS.
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The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has revealed a significant drop in exports, with a decline of 18% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. The value of exports in H1 2024 fell to £2.1bn, while the volume dropped by 10.2%, equating to 566 million 70cl bottles, or 36 bottles per second. This contrasts with 40 bottles per second in the first half of 2023.
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A new review of alcohol labelling in the UK has shown almost universal compliance with the Portman Group’s voluntary health labelling guidelines.
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The number of job vacancies in the UK’s hospitality sector has dropped below 100,000 for the first time since the pandemic, according to new data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). There are currently 98,000 vacancies in food service and accommodation, marking a reduction on recent years. However, the number remains 5,000 higher than pre-pandemic levels of 93,000.
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Family-owned independent wine and spirits specialist, Hammonds of Knutsford, has brokered a new partnership with Rascallion Wines of South Africa to be its exclusive agent in the UK and Ireland.
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Despite a 4% decline in the overall UK wine market, French wines recorded a 6% growth, driven by a 21% surge in wines from the Languedoc-Roussillon region.
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Indigo Wine celebrated 21 years in business this week via a special gathering of the wines and winemakers which helped to put the business on the UK map.
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Wine importer Hallgarten & Novum Wines has further expanded its portfolio for the UK’s premium hospitality and retail sectors by adding several new international producers. This includes two Italian wineries, La Collina Dei Ciliegi from Valpantena in Valpolicella and Sardinia’s Sella & Mosca.
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UKHospitality is urging the government to take immediate action to prevent a sharp rise in business rates for thousands of hospitality businesses, warning that bills could skyrocket in April 2025 without intervention.
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Austria has declared a 'very early vintage' for 2024, with volumes expected to be considerably lower than the recent average.
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González Byass UK has announced the addition of Famiglia Castellani to its UK wine portfolio, with the collaboration starting on 9 September 2024.
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Henkell Freixenet, a global leader in sparkling wine and renowned supplier of still wines, has reinforced its presence in Portugal by completing the acquisition of Vinicom, a family-owned wine distribution company.
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Ben Branson, the man behind pioneering low & no brand Seedlip is celebrating ten years of boundary breaking with a new product launch, made at a pioneering new facility designed to take his creations to the next level.
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The London Assembly’s Economy, Culture and Skills Committee has launched an investigation into the challenges facing the city’s night-time economy, focusing on the long-term effects of the pandemic, rising inflation and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis. The inquiry aims to assess how well London’s night-time leisure sector has recovered and to explore how existing mayoral policies support the ambition of a “24-hour city”.
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