News - Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Home Office launches Christmas alcohol campaign

Published: 23 July, 2008

UK: The Home Office has launched a month-long campaign today (November 30) targeting retailers that sell alcohol to underage drinkers and routinely breach licensing laws.

Food fuels Marston's sales growth

Published: 23 July, 2008

Marton's has reported strong sales growth in both its managed and tenanted estates, but warned that it remained cautious over consumer confidence.

Provence aims to go green

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Provence-Alpes-Ctes d'Azur region (PACA) is offering monetary incentives to producers to help hit its targets for organic production.

25% of licensed outlets sell alcohol to children

Published: 23 July, 2008

More than one-quarter of licensed premises in London were found to have sold alcohol to children.

Government launches licence consultation

Published: 23 July, 2008

UK: The consulation seeks views on a proposal to simplify the way in which licence holders can make small changes to their licence, such as changing a shop lay-out.

Lindemans heads to South Africa

Published: 23 July, 2008

Wine brand Lindemans will include a South African range in spring 2008 having launched Lindemans Chile in May.

MPs fight to freeze Scotch whisky duty

Published: 23 July, 2008

The secretary of state for Scotland Des Browne is to continue fighting for Scotch whisky duty to remain frozen in the next Budget.

Chief police criticise 24-hour drinking laws

Published: 23 July, 2008

A chief constable has claimed the changes to the Licensing Act have made Britain's binge drinking problem worse.

Ministers set out national positions on EU wine reform

Published: 23 July, 2008

Europe's agriculture ministers have laid down national interest red lines' on EU wine industry reform in a meeting held yesterday.

Diageo looks for wine acquisitions

Published: 23 July, 2008

Drinks multinational Diageo is eyeing up potential acquisitions in thein the beer, wine and spirits market, and is even considering relatively low-production wineries.

Poll backing for licence law changes

Published: 23 July, 2008

British drinkers don't want to return to fixed closing times, according to a YouGov poll for the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA).

Online shopping to reach 15bn record

Published: 23 July, 2008

Online shopping is set to hit a record 15billion in the last quarter of the year.

Punch denies 5 billion Mitchells & Butlers bid

Published: 23 July, 2008

The Punch group has insisted that it is about to take over Mitchells & Butlers, the owner of pub chains All Bar One and Harvester, in a 5 billion deal.

Enterprise says smoking ban will lead to pub closures

Published: 23 July, 2008

Pub group Enterprise Inns has released its first drop in profits for five years, and said that worse could be to come following the smoking ban.

Tesco boss calls for unified drinking age

Published: 23 July, 2008

Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy called for a unified drinking age during a meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Cognac sales at all-time high

Published: 23 July, 2008

A total of 180 million bottles of Cognac were sold in the 12-month period from October 2006-7.

Morrisons reports strong second half

Published: 23 July, 2008

Morrisons has reported a solid start to the second half of its financial year helped by a rebranding and new advertising campaign.

Fattorini wins Yalumba scholarship

Published: 23 July, 2008

Joe Fattorini, wine writer for the Daily Herald, and Harpers contributor, has won a trip to the Yalumba winery in Australia as part of the Masters of Wine 2007/08 programme.