Drinks – Keep It Overproof!

3k sign petition to save 300-year-old pub

More than 3,000 people have signed a petition urging Chipping Barnet Council to protect one of the borough’s oldest pubs from redevelopment through granting it Asset of Community Value status. Eight pubs shut their doors for good across the UK in the first six months of 2025, according to recent data from BBPA. The rise in pub closures is fuelling a spike in loneliness, the drinks business recently reported, with 67% of people considering pubs “vital” means of combatting isolation. And the Black Horse in Chipping Barnet, thought to date back to 1720, was among those...

Drinks Revolution: Spiritrade shakes up the drinks industry

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Spiritrade boss Jimmy Metta tells db about the firm smashing its first-year growth expectations by 300%, and shaking things up in the industry with the launch of the secure global drinks marketplace LAUNCHED IN March 2019, new kid on the block, Spiritrade, has proved to be adept at shaking up the drinks marketplace. This was a key aim of founder Jimmy Metta, whose previous successes include luxury drinks wholesaler Vanquish and online drinks retailer 31Dover.com. The global drinks trading platform for spirits, beer, Champagne and non- alcoholic beverages now boasts a membership of...

Coronavirus briefing: All UK hospitality companies to pay no business rates for a year

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak has extended the business rates holiday announced in last week’s budget to cover all businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector. Speaking at the government’s daily coronavirus briefing today (17 March), Sunak reiterated the message that the government would do “whatever it takes” to deal with Covid-19 outbreak. He acknowledge that some sectors were facing “particularly acute challenges” and meetings would be held in the coming dates to “identify other specific opportunities to support them and their industries,...

California, New York, Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts, Washington, and Indiana Shut Down On-Premise

Posted in Beer, Industry.

Dear Client: Your editor told the Chicago Tribune on Friday that this past weekend would be crucial in telling the tale of how the coronavirus has and will affect the beer industry, particularly on-premise, and indeed the worm has turned. It’s worse than we thought. Much worse. The dam broke on Sunday afternoon on the Ides of March, as Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker ordered all restaurants and bars across the state to be closed to dine-in customers until at least March 30. Delivery and drive up will remain open. This will be effective end-of-business tonight. Ohio Governor...

Boris Johnson tells UK to avoid bars and restaurants and ‘has powers’ to enforce closure

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

People in the UK have been told to avoid social contact, work from home and stay away from pubs and bars in an effort to slow down the rise of coronavirus (Covid-19) cases. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has warned that the UK could be approaching the “fast growth of the upward curve” of confirmed coronavirus cases, which now means cases are expected to double every five days, unless “drastic action” can be taken. Although he said the government would not enforce the closure of theatres, restaurants, pubs and bars, it has “the powers if necessary” to do so. Addressing...

Wines from Spain annual trade tasting postponed

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Wines from Spain has announced it will postpone its annual trade tasting in London. The event, which was meant to take place at London’s Sky Garden on 31 March, will be moved to a later date. More than 60 leading importers and exporters were due to present their Spanish wine portfolios to the British trade including a selection of the latest vintages and releases available to the UK market. Fernando Muñoz, director at Wines from Spain, said the industry body had been monitoring the evolution of the Coronavirus outbreak in the UK and in Spain in the run-up to the end of the month. “Whilst...

Designer of Jancis glassware crowdfunding to grow business

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Richard Brendon, the designer behind the Jancis Robinson wine glass collection, is crowdfunding to raise investment for his business, which aims to support heritage craft industries. Richard Brendon with Jancis Robinson OBE MW The designer, who started his own business in 2013, and collaborated with Jancis Robinson OBE MW on a glassware collection in 2018, is crowdfunding through the Crowdcube platform, which you can view here. Brendon is looking to raise £250,000 for his business to fund new product development and ramp up marketing efforts. Aside from the glassware, he works with...

Optimism as UK on-trade closures slow down

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

There were optimistic signs on the high street as the closure of UK pubs, restaurants and bars slowed to their lowest year-on-year rate in two years, a new report has said – with managed restaurants showed to be in growth. (Photo: iStock) The Market Growth Monitor from CGA and AlixPartners, which monitors news opening and closures in the out-of-home sectors, said closure in the sector had fallen by 1.8% in the 12 months to December, the slowest pace of since March 2018. However there had still be the equivalent of around six sites closing a day in the last 12 months,...

The 10 most powerful wine brands in the world 2020

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

Market analyst Wine Intelligence has released a report detailing the most influential wine brands in the world. The Global Wine Power Index 2020 looks at the performance of dozens of brands in 20 key markets, such as the UK, US, Japan, Australia, China and the Netherlands, posing survey questions to a little over 22,000 people worldwide The survey explored a number of factors to estimate a brand’s influence with consumers, such as their awareness of the brand, how often it was purchased, how much ‘affinity’ consumers felt they had with the wine (i.e., whether it felt “right...

International Women’s Day: How the drinks industry is supporting women in 2020

Posted in Beer, Spirits, Wine.

With International Women’s Day right around the corner, brands are racing to launch initiatives that empower women in the workplace. In recent years, the day, which has been celebrated for well over a century, became an excuse for businesses to offer promotions and boost their sales, while winning over consumers. Brewdog faced heavy backlash after launching an ironic “Punk for Girls” IPA in 2018 and offering discounts at its on-trade sites, despite also donating proceeds of the sales to support women in STEM research. It’s no longer enough to offer women a discount...

Tag: Drinks