Harpers Wine & Spirit Trade News

Looking ahead: Elise Mérigaud, La Dame de Pic

Published: 21 July, 2022

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

Jerry Lockspeiser: Lessons from the Tory leadership – are we heading into disaster?

Published: 21 July, 2022

Oh dear, perhaps it was always too much to hope for. The embarrassment of the country being led by a self-serving clown has finally timed out, but the opportunity for serious politics to be rehabilitated looks certain to be missed.

Calls for action on business rates as inflation reaches 40-year high

Published: 20 July, 2022

Mounting pressure is being placed on the government to ease the ‘financial fragility’ of the hospitality sector during its upcoming review of business rates, as businesses continue to suffer rising supply chain costs and runaway inflation.

Soapbox: Can the wine industry survive desertification?

Published: 14 July, 2022

Nenad Trifunovic, director of business development at Wine & More, reflects on the future of a sector that is already feeling the heat.

Liberty celebrates 25 years with greatest hits tasting

Published: 21 June, 2022

Liberty Wines celebrated its 25th anniversary yesterday at its usual spot at the Oval Cricket Ground, where the event took a greatest hits approach to celebrate a quarter of a century in business.

Business support lags behind in cost-of-living crisis

Published: 27 May, 2022

A £15bn package aimed at helping households deal with inflation and the rising cost of energy bills comes just one day after the Sue Gray report was published – a move that has prompted critics to question the rationale and timing of the sudden windfall for British consumers. Also, they ask, where is the support for business?

Jerry Lockspeiser: Confused by the economy?

Published: 27 May, 2022

First Brexit, then Covid, and now a major war in Europe. The economic landscape has been knocked from side to side, then up and down, and is now lurching in the most unpredictable fashion. Managing business strategy in these circumstances is extremely tough. If dealing with known unknowns is hard, facing unknown unknowns is extraordinarily challenging.

Jerry Lockspeiser: Why words matter in business

Published: 26 April, 2022

Polonius: What do you read, my lord?

Jerry Lockspeiser: Resetting business values in the wake of P&O

Published: 28 March, 2022

Business morals and behaviour are never far from the headlines. Nor should they be. Business in its various forms is arguably the motor of our world. From the urban corner store and rural small holding to the multinational finance business and corporate drinks giant, business is central to the lives of virtually everyone on the planet today. From working in the private sector to sourcing medicines for a hospital or shopping in a supermarket, the web of business surrounds us all.

Profile: Neville Abraham, Liberty Wines

Published: 15 March, 2022

On the eve of a reshuffle at Liberty Wines, Andrew Catchpole catches up with outgoing chair and serial restaurateur Neville Abraham for his views on the trade

Hospitality cries for help

Published: 07 March, 2022

James Bayley dives into ‘quintuple shock’ looming on the horizon in April, as businesses call for more ongoing support to boost recovery.

Soapbox: Why sustainability makes perfect business sense

Published: 10 February, 2022

Mariella Menato, strategy director at drinks design specialist Denomination, talks about the rise of sustainability as a key consumer requirement, and why today, more than ever, it is vital for business success, as well as safeguarding our planet.

Hospitality sector urges government to stall VAT hike in April

Published: 08 February, 2022

In a campaign organised by UKHospitality, more than 250 business leaders from the service and leisure industries have written to the Chancellor Rishi Sunak, urging the government to keep VAT at 12.5% beyond March 2022.

Wine Importers 'looks to future' with management reshuffle

Published: 02 February, 2022

Scotland-based distributor Wine Importers, part of the Murray Capital Group, has announced key changes to its top team, anticipating “growing demand as the economy fully reopens”.

David Sandys-Renton passes away

Published: 27 January, 2022

Wine pioneer David Sandys-Renton has died, aged 85.

Profile: Fine Wines Direct take action

Published: 18 January, 2022

Andrew Catchpole caught up with the team at the “fiercely independent” Fine Wines Direct to discuss their new agency business, as well as plans for expansion and diversification

Barcelona Wine Week postponed to April 2022

Published: 14 January, 2022

The second edition of Barcelona’s leading trade fair has been postponed, due to concerns over travel restrictions and the Omicron variant.

Jerry Lockspeiser: On Jeremy Clarkson, margins and the ‘middleman’ dog whistle

Published: 22 December, 2021

In case anyone missed it, Jeremy Clarkson has recently launched his own beer brand, Hawkstone. The lager is made with barley grown on his Cotswolds farm. Exposed to the workings of the supply chain, Clarkson was reportedly aghast at the difference between the £205 per tonne he received for his barley and the £580 paid by the brewers to the middleman.

Sunak announces new relief for hospitality sector

Published: 21 December, 2021

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has announced a further round of grants of up to £6,000 per hospitality premise, also committing to a top up of discretionary grant funding, as part of a £1 billion package to support the sector.