Looking ahead: Katy Keating, Lay & Wheeler

With the first half of 2022 already history, Harpers asked key trade figures to highlight the current challenges, ongoing trends and opportunities.

Personality and value from winning indie wholesaler Lea & Sandeman

In last month’s edition of Harpers, we unveiled our annual Top 50 Drinks Wholesalers. In 10th place on that list was Lea & Sandeman, the independent wine merchant with a penchant for grower-led, artisanal wines from around the world.

Justerini & Brooks in South African Expansion

Harpers Exclusive: The Wines Direct Consumer Award winners 2022

Now in its fourth year, Harpers can exclusively reveal the 2022 Wine Direct Awards results.

The weighty burden of alcohol’s rising costs

When chancellor Rishi Sunak announced his proposed changes to alcohol duty in the October Budget, he described them as the “most radical simplification of alcohol duties for over 140 years”. Under the present system, there are three duty rates on wine – one for still wine, a slightly higher one for sparkling wine and an even higher one for fortified wine.

Fine wine leads the way for Jascots

Jascots Fine Wine Sector is going from strength to strength following the development of a specialist department in December 2021. Fine wine contributed 8% of total sales value in Q1 2022, up 5% in Q4 2021. 

Lay & Wheeler looks to the future with new branding

Lay & Wheeler has unveiled new branding, the first rebrand for the company in over 10 years, reflecting the business’s focus on the future.

German wine sales soar at royal wine supplier

Sales of German wines at fine wine merchant Justerini & Brooks have rocketed this year.

Insights: Is it the end of the traditional wine shops?

As the competition hots up in independent retail with the introduction of more and more hybrid venues, could this spell the end for the traditional wine shop? Nigel Huddleston investigates 

Best of British: we celebrate Top Merchants around the country

In part two of our Best of British feature, Harpers takes a look at three more independent wine merchants to keep your eyes on.

Chiefs of the Week: the UK's independent wine merchants

For over the last month Harpers has been celebrating and putting the spotlight on the work independent wine merchants do and the growing importance they have on the drinks industry as part of our March for the Independents campaign.

March for Indies: 10 ways to boost sales and business through Twitter

Twittter is no longer just a way to communicate, keep in touch and build your audience, it can also really help to drive sales and bring new and existing customers to your business.

March for Independents: Action Week 4 offers data and insights to help drive profits

As we enter the final Action Week of the March for the Independents campaign we turn the spotlight on the market trends, insights and data that will help independent wine merchants ensure they have the rights wines and spirits on shelf at the right price.

March for Independents: 13 ways for retailers to keep on top of business law

Stephen Forward of the independent wine merchant business, Essentially Wine, gives a personal insight into how retailers like himself get on top of all the small business regulation.

March for Independents: new online and EU labelling regulations for merchants

There is a whole raft of legislation that retailers need to be on top to make sure they are on top what are termed as "distance sales", wine lawyer Andrew Park advises.   

March for Independents: keep on top of waste packaging and avoid big fines

Today as part of the March for the Independents campaign we turn the spotlight on waste packaging. Not the most glamorous of topics but if you are an independent wine merchant, importing or distributing wine then you need to make sure you are compliant with your recycling oblilgations or risk potentially crippling fines.

MPs back Drop the Duty campaign by taking trade's duty call to the Chancellor

MPs across the country are starting to respond to independent wine merchants and members of the wider wine and spirits industry who have contacted them through the Drop the Duty campaign calling on them to lobby the Chancellor for a 2% duty cut in the March Budget.

Cambridge Wine's Hal Wilson urges independents to lobby their MP for duty cut

Following yesterday's call by Harpers to independent wine merchants to play their part in the industry wide campaign to convince the Chancellor to issue a duty cut on wine and spirits in his March Budget, leading independent Hal Wilson of Cambridge Wine Merchants today explains why he has personally lobbied his local MP, the Liberal Democrat Julian Huppert, and urges other merchants to do the same.

Action Week 2: Call to indies to lobby local MP and media for a Drop in Duty

Harpers is today calling on independent wine merchants across the UK to lobby both their MP and local media to back the Drop the Duty campaign and help raise the profile of their business on this key business issue.

Profile: Bottle Apostle

Bottle Apostle is one of the new breed of independent wine merchants hitting well-heeled high streets across the country. Both cool and quirky, it has its sights set on young and affluent customers, as Helen Arnold discovers