Vinexpo New York has released a new brochure for the 2020 edition of its trade show, which provides more details for those attending the event on 2 and 3 March. In particular, Vinexpo is urging exhibitors to join its regional pavilions which it says gives produces “added presence and recognition within the exhibit hall” and helps top buyers “seek products from specific regions. To view the brochure, please click here. Vinexpo New York made its debut in 2018, with a second, larger edition hosted in New York, at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center from 4-5 March. The 2019...

Pub group Stonegate, which owns Be At One and Slug & Lettuce, has bought out the Ei Group in a deal worth £3 billion. The takeover would mean that Stonegate Pub Group takes ownership of Ei’s 4,000-strong pub estate, adding to its current portfolio of 765 sites, which includes bar chains Yates and Walkabout. The pub company has offered all-cash terms, valuing Ei’s shares at £1.3 billion, making the deal itself worth £3 billion including debt. The deal will make Stonegate the largest pub owner in the UK by a wide margin. However, the companies agreed that terms would be altered...

South London company Spirit of Bermondsey has created a botanically infused lower alcohol spirit called Trinity25. Offering an alcohol content of 25% ABV, Trinity25 is made from 100% English grain spirit, cold infused with Juniper and a ‘trinity’ of spices. Botanicals include cardamon to provide spice; coriander seed for a citrus element; and black pepper to add warmth. Suggested as suitable for gin-based classics such as Negronis and Martinis, Trinity25 can also be served as a Spritz or on the rocks. Inspired by Bermondsey’s history of trading and storing spices, the spirit was conceived and...

Around 70% of consumers think pop-up shops can revitalise UK retail, a new survey has found, with food & drink driving the popularity of the disruptive experience. A new survey from online marketplace OnBuy.com found that 60% of consumers asked were interested in food and drink pop-ups, compared to only 40% for tech, or 50% fashion. Nearly 60% of consumers said pop-ups were fun and exciting, and around the same number (57%) thought it an easier environment to discover independent and smaller brands. Price is also an important consideration. While the overwhelming majority (63%) expected...

Aldi has received a rap from the Advertising Standards Agency, which said its Christmas ad comparing its own-label champagne with a leading champagne brand sold in Tesco misled consumers. The press ad, which ran last December, compared a selection of Christmas products sold by Aldi and Tesco, including Aldi’s own brand Veuve Monsigny Champagne Brut which retails for £11.49, and a £28 Moët et Chandon Brut Impérial Non-Vintage Champagne from Tesco. It encouraged shoppers to ‘Swap to Aldi’ saying they could save 45%. Tesco complained the ad was misleading, claiming it unfairly skewed the price...

Auction house Bonhams is offering a full set of Hanyu Ichiro’s ‘Card Series’ of Japanese whiskies – the most expensive and rarest Japanese whiskies in the world. The suit of ‘Hearts’ from the card series The collection will be offered in Hong Kong during a sale on 16 August and has an estimate of HK$4.5 million – HK$6m (US$572,940-US$763,920 / £455,760-£607,620). The full card series contains 54 bottles in total, each one containing spirit drawn from a single cask between 1985 and 2014 – the year the Hanyu distillery closed. A full series was previously sold by Bonhams in 2015 for...

Operating wine bar and shop hybrids throughout London, Vagabond is preparing to add up to four more London sites to its portfolio over the following eight months. Photo: Vagabond Vagabond, which recently opened its sixth store in London’s Paddington, is planning to launch an additional four sites in the City, Canary Wharf and on the South Bank between September and December this year, reports Drinks Retailing News. Managing Director Stephen Finch said: “We are now heavier on the on-trade side and these new sites will continue with this format, but we will always maintain a retail element.  “The...