Co-op wine buyer Sarah Benson has become a master of wine, making her the first at the Co-op. The Institute of Masters of Wine announced four new MWs last week, with Benson joining Argentina specialist Amanda Barnes as well as Jit Hang Jackie Ang in Singapore and Kathleen Van den Berghe in Belgium. Benson transitioned from a career in translation to wine…

Aldi has launched a ‘Winefluencer Club’ in collaboration with social media influencer Liam D’Arcy, known as The Wine Wally.  The supermarket is offering 10 shoppers the chance to trial its new spring/summer range for free, in exchange for sharing their thoughts online under the #AldiWinefluencerClub hashtag.  Aldi said it hopes to tap into the growing social media world of wine enthusiasts, moving…

Located in Pinner, north west London, Mouse & Grape is a neighbourhood cheese and wine pairing shop owned by Jessica Summer. The shop followed the success of an Instagram page and here Summer discusses the origins of the brand, the desire for indulgence and her future plans. Mouse & Grape originally began in 2020 during the pandemic, when my career took an unexpected…

Booker has launched an ordering platform exclusively for its symbol group retailers as it looks to help facilitate delivery in “as little as 30 minutes”. The new ordering platform, Scoot, connects shoppers with their local participating retailer, enabling them to order from a curated list of products chosen by the retailer. According to Booker, Scoot facilitates ordering, payment and picking processes, leaving…

Online wine retailer Naked Wines, famous for its Angel subscribers, hasn’t had an easy few years. But with fresh leadership and a new strategy, UK general manager Emma Kamel tells Lucy Britner she is optimistic about the future. Seven years ago, Emma Kamel swapped a City job at EY for a career at Naked Wines. Over the years, she has risen through the…

Low and no alcohol drinks have seen an increase in popularity in supermarkets, according to insights from Kantar.  The research company revealed that sales of low and no alcohol drinks were 7% higher over the four weeks to 26 January compared to the year before. 6.7% of households bought at least one of these alternatives.  Nathan Ward, business unit director for usage and out-of-home…

The Wine Society has reported a “record-breaking” Christmas, as it prepares for a challenging year ahead. The Wine Society said gross sales reached £35.7 million over the eight weeks leading up to December 27, up 1.5% compared to the same period a year prior.  The week leading up to Christmas marked the Society’s “highest ever” sales week, surpassing £7.1 million. On December…