Wine retailer Vinotopia has opened a new site in the Cotswolds, offering around 400 wines, spirits, beers and ciders as well as a drink-in area.  Named the Vinotopia Wine Barn, the new opening follows in the footsteps of the Vinotopia Wine Box – a repurposed shipping container in Stroud. According to Vinotopia owners, the Wine Barn offers four times more retailing space than…

It’s not every day you find yourself in the charts with Kylie, but James Halliday, Diageo GB’s commercial director for take-home, appeared among this year’s Drinks Retailing Top 100 Most Influential. Here, he talks to Lucy Britner about consumer trends, brand strategy and working with retailers “Anything to do with the off-trade that remotely touches commercial – that will come to me,” says…

Gallo Family Vineyards has extended its range of price-marked packs (PMPs) to include Pinot Grigio and Merlot. Both varieties join the brand’s Zinfandel rosé in displaying peelable PMPs. According to the company, the launch of PMPs last summer helped Gallo achieve +18% in incremental sales. Mark Stammers, sales director UK & Ireland at E&J Gallo Winery, said: “At a time where the cost of living…

C&C Group has unveiled a new design for its Orchard Pig cider brand, as it looks to modernise packaging. The new livery will roll out to the on- and off-trade from October, starting with the brand’s Reveller and Truffler 50cl bottles. Eleanor Quigley, brand manager for Orchard Pig, said: “We know Orchard Pig drinkers are free-spirited and keep up with trends, so we wanted our…

Symington Family Estates and Berry Bros & Rudd have lined up a £22.3 million takeover bid for Hambledon Vineyard. In a filing on the London Stock Exchange, Berry Bros and Atlantis Wine Holdings, a member of the Symington Group, announced the formation of a new consortium – CVI UK – in a takeover bid for the Hampshire-based English wine brand. The consortium said the acquisition would…

Healeys Cornish Cyder Farm has announced a £5 million investment in production infrastructure, as well as its onsite visitor experience. As part of the spend, the business has doubled its processing capacity, with the introduction of new apple bays (pictured), a water transportation system, and an additional press. Joe Healey, managing director, trading at Healeys said: “This latest investment shows our continued commitment…

Global Brands has come under fire for breaking advertising rules in a TikTok campaign with influencer Charly Anne Collard. The Advertising Standards Authority said today that a campaign for the company’s Corky’s schnapps brand broke rules around being properly tagged, as well as responsible drinking. The main TikTok post in question was one created by Collard outside of her contract with Corky’s. The post showed…