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The week that was

Published:  11 May, 2018

In case you missed some of the headlines this week on harpers.co.uk, we have put together a review of the top online news, Q&As, and opinion stories.



Top Stories: The conversation around the Sainsbury’s and Asda merger continued this week with Tim Atkin MW’s debunk of the new grocery supergroup.

Also in the multiples this week, Co-op revealed it has been in cahoots with its South African supplier Lutzville to convert its entire own label range to Fairtrade.

The deal is the largest of its kind, and will increase the volume of Fairtrade wine on the market by 20%.

Last but not least, we also looked at the rise and rise of UK wine exports with new figures from WineGB.

Research from the group has set the bar high, predicting the value of UK wine exports could reach up to £350 million by 2040.

Tim Atkin MW: And then there were three

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

UK wine export set to soar

Hallgarten & Novum signs UK distribution deal for Jim Barry Wines

WSTA reveals this year’s Brexit LWF debate



Analysis and Insights: With pre-registered visitor numbers continuing to rise, we looked ahead to the new and refreshed zones at this year’s London Wine Fair, which will be kicking off at the Olympia on May 21.

Elsewhere, we published our annual 2017 Bordeaux en primeur report. A complicated year in many respects, the report picked apart the quality and longevity of 2017 with insights from our resident Bordeaux correspondent and producer Gavin Quinney.

And our Fairtrade feature offered a snapshot of a category on the rise.

With the new Co-op deal looking to boost UK volumes by 20%, the “phenomenal growth” of Fairtrade sales points to a category which retailers, producers and consumers are increasingly buying into.

Getting in the zone

Bordeaux 2017 and the primeur tastings

Fairtrade on the rise



People and Opinion:
Regular columnist Guy Woodward returned to the subject of Majestic and catering to the mass palate in his latest column.

Majestic’s own label range might have failed to make a lasting impression on the former Decanter editor. But then the trade, he points out, is not the wines’ target market.

We also kicked off the latest refresh of our Meet the Buyers series. For the new regional brewers theme, we headed to Adnams where we caught up with wine buyer Lydia Redfearn.