Halewood Wines & Spirits not dialling down wine despite ramping up spirits

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 10 January, 2019

Liverpool-based wine and spirit producer Halewood Wines & Spirits has denied it is slowing down its wine business after several moves this year to boost its international spirits profile and selling off its “loss making” Romanian wine arm.

In its financial results for FY17/18, the company said it continues to focus on its strategy of being the “leading player in artisanal gins in the UK and expanding to other large international spirits markets”.

Further investment in premium craft spirits is also planned for the coming year, while talk of wine was more muted.

In 2018, the company off-loaded “non-core” business Prahova Valley wine estate in Romania alongside Irish whiskey producer West Cork Distillers.

Halewood Romania still remains, selling craft spirits and Crabbie’s Ginger Beer in the country.

“However, the business still sells a significant amount of wine in the UK,” managing director Stewart Hainsworth confirmed to Harpers.

“Artisanal spirits are currently over two thirds of our revenue in the UK, it remains our core focus.”

There was no mention of the planned sale of the company.

In May 2018, Halewood announced it was exploring potential sale options as the business expands internationally.

Financial advisory group Rothschild was appointed to explore the company's options, though things have not progressed publicly since then.

Things seem to be going well in the company’s planned growth area.

In the year to June 30, 2018, the lion share of the company’s growth in underlying profits came from its artisanal spirits, specifically gin.

Whitley Neill Gin, Liverpool Organic Gin, City of London Gin, Marylebone Gin, Aber Falls Welsh Gin and Peaky Blinder Gin all helped to boost operating profit to £13.4m.

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