A beer store claiming to be “the UK’s smallest bottle shop” has opened in a disused phone box in Norwich city centre. Beer Hatch is owned by Saul Press and is an extension of a business that started as a local delivery service during lockdown, progressing to selling beer at local markets as the world reopened. “I noticed an advert on a phone box in…

Some in the trade consider English wines to be underwhelming and overpriced. I disagree; we are making world class wines. Quality is on the rise and customers are eager to support local winemakers. Its why English wines make up 25% of our list at Wickhams. I am fortunate to be able to visit many of the vineyards dotted throughout the coastal counties of southern England…

Bestway has partnered with tech specialists Innovative Technology to trial an AI-based age verification initiative in the convenience channel. Three Bestway Retail stores – Bargain Booze in Otley, Wine Rack in Roundhay and Tippl in Garforth – will participate in the trial, which is part of the government’s regulatory ‘sandbox’ scheme to test technologies that can fulfil the requirement for age verification in the retail…

Convenience symbol group Spar has revealed new UK-wide brand positioning, as it looks to champion the ‘local’ message. The new positioning, called ‘The joy of Living Locally’ will launch in stores and across digital communications this month. Spar will use three pillars to bring the positioning to life in store: ‘Value on your doorstep’, ‘Nurture our neighbourhoods’, and ‘Passionate about local’. The pillars will communicate…

The first Just Plonk off-licence is set to open in Cheshire’s Alderley Edge next month, with plans for 15 more stores in 2022. Owner Nigel Ramsay told Drinks Retailing that Alderley Edge is the “Champagne capital of the north”. The shop will champion the Angel Champagne brand as well as celebrity-backed products such as Snoop Dogg’s gin brand, Jay-Z’s Cognac and Kendall Jenner’s Tequila. Ramsay…

Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAP), which works with retailers to prevent under-age drinking, has reported substantial reductions in the supply of alcohol to children in areas where it has created local partnerships. In its 2020 annual report it looked at data from 2016 to 2020, which showed that 99% of retailers passed Challenge 25 compliance tests for alcohol sales, while 86% of retailers did not sell…

Aber Falls Distillery in Abergwyngregyn, Wales, has today launched its first 100% Welsh single malt whisky. The ‘Inaugural Release’, consisting of 2,000 bottles, is quintessentially Welsh; milled and distilled in North Wales using 100% Welsh malted barley and rock-filtered water from the Aber Falls waterfall. It’s also aged in the Distillery’s local Welsh warehouses, before being bottled on site at the Distillery. The single malt…