Q&A: Robert Cooke, beers, wines & spirits director, Tesco

Buoyed by October’s encouraging interim results, Tesco is heading into the festive season with a hand in the on-trade for the first time, thanks to its merger with cash-and-carry group Booker. Jo Gilbert speaks to BWS director Robert Cooke about what the deal means for alcoholic drinks sales at the UK’s biggest grocer

Suppliers “operate in a climate of fear” warns FDF in Asda-Sainsbury’s probe

“Suppliers effectively operate in a climate of fear as Sainsbury’s and Asda act as gatekeepers to the market”, the Food and Drinks Federation (FDF) has said in the latest round of consultations on the proposed supermarket merger. 

Tesco boxes out low and no alcohol for the first time at autumn tasting

Tesco shone a spotlight on its growing list of low and no alcohol options at its tasting yesterday, giving further credence to moderation trends.

Waitrose introduces 100 new lines to bolster premium position

“Functional booze is not our game. We need to tell a story,” says Pierpaolo Petrassi, head of buying, beers, wines and spirits at Waitrose.

Co-op focuses on everyday value and increasing Fairtrade

The Co- op’s most visible point of difference has always been Fairtrade and its autumn tasting on 4 October showed that the buyers have convinced further suppliers to convert to Fairtrade for several key wines.

UK one of the most “mature” markets for alcohol online, despite accounting for less than 10% of sales

The UK is at the forefront of selling wine online thanks to well-established specialist wine retailers such as Majestic and The Wine Society, new research has revealed.

Range rationalisation: Surviving the squeeze

Angela Mount investigates how distributors and producers are shaping up to meet buyer demands as routes to market narrow. 

A smarter way to sell

Jo Gilbert connects with the businesses aiming to bring the convenience, value and focus of online shopping to bricks-and-mortar stores

Royal Wedding and hot weather boost online BWS sales

Online sales of beer, wines and spirits were up 27.3% YoY in March 2018, new data has revealed.

An extra £500m investment in product and service innovation could put Waitrose ahead of the game

Store closures and profit warnings have become death knells for retailers on struggling high streets, and there was concern last week when Waitrose announced it is shutting five of its 353 stores.

E-commerce to represent 7.2% of FMCG retail by 2020

Retailers are being urged to adapt their strategies around the “evolution of channels” in light of research which showed that in 2017, 76% of fast-moving consumer goods’ (FMCG) value growth came from channels outside traditional supermarkets.

Provence rosé faces supply slump

The sweltering bank holiday temperatures, higher than average winter sales and poor French harvests could mean a “potential draught” for rosé wines from Provence, according to Majestic.

Guy Woodward: Who is wine for?

Two months ago, I wrote a column on Majestic that was less than effusive in its appraisal of the UK’s biggest drinks retailer. The day after it was published, I received a phone call from the firm’s chief executive Rowan Gormley. It’s funny how our reliance on electronic forms of communication means that an unsolicited call now has added impact – a fact which I’m sure Gormley had in mind as he opened the call with a jokey threat of legal action.

Co-op's major own label conversion boosts UK Fairtrade wine volumes by 20%

The Co-op’s new conversion of its major own-label range will boost the UK’s Fairtrade wine volumes by 20%.

We're in the money?

An increasingly competitive retail environment has led to yet another mega-merger, this time between Asda and Sainsbury’s. We ask what this new giant force could have in store for wine

Tim Atkin MW: And then there were three

Does anyone remember Safeway? In its day, it had one of the best supermarket wine ranges in the UK – diverse, daring and invariably well selected.

Europe leads private label premiumisation

The quality of private label wines are on the up – and Europe is leading the pack.

Cold weather turns into pressure cooker for high street stores

Companies continue to look to Provence for bankable rosé styles

The popularity of drier, paler styles of rosé show no signs of slowing as they inch further and further into the mainstream, with Blossom Hill becoming the latest company to latch onto this consumer-friendly style.

Gin sales boom with 45% growth at Christmas

Gin was the runaway success of the last minute Christmas booze run, with shoppers buying a huge 45% more in the week before the big day than 2016.