Drinks sales in growth despite wine and spirits slump
Pubs saw solid trading in September with average drinks sales by value in managed venues largely in growth, though the spirits and wine categories continued to struggle.
Wine
Joule’s makes first foray into winemaking with vineyard purchase
Brewery and pub operator Joule’s Brewery has announced the purchase of historic vineyard Château Bessan in the Premier Côtes de Bordeaux.
Vagabond unveils plans to open ‘cathedral to wine’ in London
Vagabond Wines has announced plans to open the UK’s largest ‘urban winery’ in London’s Canada Water.
FEATURE: Getting started in wine
Getting those wine sales right can be a real bonus for drink sales whether the venue is a premium gastropub or a more price conscious community local.
Gallo’s £2m Barefoot marketing campaign ‘reflects ambitious goals’
Wine firm Gallo has launched its biggest ever marketing initiative for Barefoot.
Majestic buys Enotria&Coe in major on-trade expansion
Majestic, the specialist wine retailer, has completed the acquisition of premium wines and spirits supplier, Enotria&Coe, as part of its strategy to expand in the on-trade.
Trade bodies ‘monitoring’ Trump tariff threats
US president Donald Trump has threatened to impose levies on alcoholic drinks made in the EU.
PROMOTIONAL CONTENT
What are the new wine trends to look out for in 2025?
Staying abreast of incoming wine trends will keep your offering credible and in line with ever changing customer expectations, says Neil McAndrew – wine industry consultant and advisor to the EU’s ‘More Than Only Food and Drink’ campaign.
DRINKS LIST 2025
Find out the top brands to stock for 2025
The latest Drinks List from The Morning Advertiser is here, it’s absolutely free to access and it’s all yours – right now.
DRINKS LIST 2025
Why the Drinks List 2025 is a ‘must-have’ to help stock your bar well
The Morning Advertiser is launching its latest Drinks List so you know the most popular brands in the UK on-trade and how well each one is faring at pubs and bars up and down the country.
DRINKS MASTERCLASS
How to make wine menus stand out with 'innovative' cocktails
In this edition of The Morning Advertiser’s (MA) Drinks Masterclass wine search engine Vino Voss mixology expert Nikki Bonkowski details how to make wine menus stand out with “innovative” cocktails.
WSTA calls for two-year duty freeze
The Wine and Spirits Trade Association (WSTA) has called for a freeze to alcohol duty for a “minimum” of two years ahead of the upcoming Budget.
Drinks sales see one of the biggest drops so far in 2024
Drinks sales plummet, hitting one of the biggest year-on-year downturns so far this year, the latest data from CGA by NIQ has revealed.
Wine drinkers increasingly concerned about sustainability
Education is a key tool for operators and suppliers to secure spend from eco-conscious wine drinkers as sustainability becomes progressively important within the segment.
PROMOTIONAL CONTENT
Serve of the Week – Cream Sherry Sunset
Isn’t it time you reconsidered a classic? When was the last time you had sherry?
Pernod Ricard sells wine brands to Accolade Wines owner
French drinks firm Pernod Ricard has sold its portfolio of international strategic wine brands to Australian Wine Holdco – the owner of Accolade Wines.
Wine sales rise as cider nosedives
Cider sales plummet and wine sales shine as trade falls behind 2023 levels for a fourth consecutive week.
FEATURE - WINE
FEATURE: Make your wine sales rise as weather improves
Gone are the days when anyone asking for a glass of ‘dry white’ in a pub would be faced with rolling eyes as the bar member scrambled through the back bar fridge to find a bottle that had likely been open for at least a week.
Majestic rescues Vagabond from administration
Wine retailer Majestic has bought Vagabond Wines out of administration, securing the future of nine bars and saving more than 170 jobs.
Mother's Day sees 48% sales boost for wine
Wine sales rocketed by 48% on Mother’s Day, the latest Daily Drinks Tracker from CGA by NIQ has revealed.
Trends to help boost rosé sales this summer
Offering a diverse range of rosé is “crucial” for pubs ahead of summer as the category “dominates” warmer months.
Drinks sales remain flat despite strong Valentine’s trade
Drinks sales in the seven days to Saturday 17 February remained flat year-on-year despite a “welcome boost” from Valentine’s Day.
WSTA: 'duty cut would offer much-needed boost'
The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has called on the Chancellor to cut wine and spirit duty to combat both falling sales volumes and reduced revenue to the Exchequer ahead of the Spring Budget in March.
Chapel Down growth continues in ‘landmark year’
Wine producer Chapel Down has labelled 2023 as a “landmark year” for English wine and itself as it posted a trading report for its 2023 financial year.
Pint of wine sales 'distraction from real issues'
Operators across the sector have branded the concept of selling pints of wine in the on-trade as a “peculiar distraction” from more pressing issues and an attempt to “scrape” some “benefit” to Brexit.
Bibendum top wine trends for 2024
Close to nine out of 10 consumers would recommend a venue where they rated the wine offering as “very good or excellent”.
Xmas 'make or break' for sector as drinks sales dip
Christmas period “make or break” for hospitality firms as drinks sales “disrupted” by stormy weather.
WSTA: 'duty freeze only way to stop budget-busting price rises'
A freeze on alcohol duty is the “only option” to prevent “inflation-stoking” and “budget-busting” price rises, The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has warned.
DRINKS MASTERCLASS
Pubs need to 'stand out from the crowd' when it comes to wine
Kickstarting the latest series of The Morning Advertiser’s Drinks Masterclass, we've looked at trends within the wine category and how operators can “stand out from the crowd” to encourage consumers to explore wine lists and boost sales.
Drinks sales flat YOY for second successive week
Year-on-year (YOY) drinks sales in the on premise have remained “virtually flat” for the second week in a row, data from CGA has revealed.
Vinoteca wine bars secured after acquisition, 150 jobs saved
The future of wine bar group Vinoteca has been secured after the five-strong business was acquired out of administration.
Drinks sales in decline for second consecutive week
Wine sales saw a surge as the weather cooled despite drinks sales in the on-trade falling year-on-year for a second week in a row, the latest Drinks Recovery Tracker from CGA by NIQ has revealed.
WSTA: 'It’s not too late for Gov to scrap crippling duty hikes'
SMEs will be “most at risk” when “crippling” duty hikes come into force next month, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has stated.
Drinks sales growth held back by inflation despite YOY increase
Drinks sales achieved “solid” growth in the first half of May, the latest Drinks Recovery Tracker from CGA by NIQ has revealed.
FEATURE: Wine
FEATURE: Let your pub shine with wine
There are some fantastic pubs serving amazing wines in the UK – but the pub sector does have some challenges to overcome in the category because it has a reputation for being focused on developing its beer menus rather than targeting wine sales.
David Forde quits as CEO at C&C
Drinks company C&C Group has announced David Forde is to step down from his role as chief executive and will cease to be a director with immediate effect – but will be available to help ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities.
Drinks sales show 'solid performance' in April
Drinks sales showed a “solid performance” in the three weeks to Saturday 22 April, figures from CGA by NIQ have revealed.
Wine sales climb while all other categories fall
Drinks sales were down across almost all measured categories in the seven days to Saturday 15 April, the latest Drinks Recovery Tracker from CGA by NIQ's has revealed.
Vagabond appoints new operations director
Vagabond Wines has appointed Christobell Giles as its new operations director.
SPRING BUDGET 2023
Duty hike ‘bitter blow’ for drinks firms
The Chancellor announced wine drinkers would be hit by the biggest single duty rise in almost 50 years at yesterday’s Spring Budget, leaving the sector “deeply disappointed”.
Biggest price hike for wine in 50 years if Hunt 'fails to act'
Beer, wine and spirits could all see prices “rocket” by summer if Chancellor Jeremy Hunt “fails to act” on alcohol duty in today’s (Wednesday 15 March) Spring Budget.
Drinks sales show growth amid 'difficult trading environment'
Drinks sales across the on-trade continue to show year-on-year growth despite “difficult trading environment”, the latest Drinks Recovery Tracker from CGA by NielsenIQ has revealed.
C&C Group clients unable to place orders for weeks
Customers of drinks distributor C&C Group have been struggling to order stock for several weeks due to “major system upgrades”, forcing some operators to “waste time” scrambling between high-street shops to avoid shortages.
Robbie Williams plans to launch drinks range
Robbie Williams is reportedly set to rival former Take That bandmate Gary Barlow in the beverage business through launching his own drinks range.
Majestic freezes trade prices
Majestic Wine has announced price freezes for its on-trade partners until spring next year.
City Pub Group offering alcohol-free wine
Multiple operator City Pub Group has revealed it will launch alcohol-free wine Noughty across a number of its pubs from the new year, with plans to expand the roll out across 2023.
NEW PRODUCT'S ROUND-UP
Ridgeview announces new sparkling red
This week's round-up features a new limited-edition serve from Ridgeview and a debut single malt series from Scapegrace Distillery alongside a unique new beer from Scotland.
Drinks trends 2023 revealed
Manzanillia, South African Straw wine and saline cocktail flavours are the top drinks trends for 2023, according to premium wine specialist Bibendum.
Drinks List 2023
The Drinks List – top brands to stock in 2023
This year’s Drinks List has seen great strides forward in terms of volume and value sales versus last year because the on-trade has been operating on a much better basis than during the heavily restrictive phases of the pandemic.
DRINKS LIST 2023
Jack Rabbit Pinot Grigio still most sold wine
The best-selling wine in the on-trade has remained unchanged over the past 12-months, the Drinks List 2023 has revealed.