La Companie de La Burgondie is celebrating its first major UK off-trade listing with the launch of a wine made from an ancient Burgundian variety into Tesco stores. La Burgondie Bourgogne Aligoté 2017 (rsp: £9) is made from the grape variety Aligoté, which has been criticised in the past for being a difficult grape to ripen and is often overshadowed by its more famous Chardonnay…

In November 2017, Conviviality was riding the crest of a wave after share prices hit a record high of 426p following a raft of acquisitions. Chief executive Diana Hunter was the toast of the stock market as revenues had soared by 85% to £1.65 billion in the year to April 2017, while profits more than doubled to £22.5 million. Investors were sitting on a healthy…

Conviviality said it “continues to pursue opportunities” to find a buyer for its retail arm after confirming the sale of Matthew Clark and Bibendum PLB to C&C Group. Bargain Booze and Wine Rack workers and franchisees remain in limbo after the group collapsed following a string of financial calamities. Conviviality was divided into Conviviality Direct and Conviviality Retail, and C&C Group has only acquired the…

Conviviality has recruited former Premier Foods’ chief financial officer Mark Moran to replace Andrew Humphreys, who steps down from his role at the end of this month. The owner of Bargain Booze and Wine Rack announced that Humphreys will be stepping down at the end of this month, following three years as CFO. Moran, who joins the board on 30 October, has 20 years’ experience…

Conviviality has more than doubled its full year profits to £22.5m. The owner of Bargain Booze and Wine Rack reported its pre-tax profits grew 147% on the previous year, and it almost doubled sales to £1.56bn. The company said the integration of both Matthew Clark and Bibendum PLB is progressing ahead of plan and it described the period (53 weeks to 1 May 2016) as…

The London Wine Fair has shrunk somewhat in recent years – partly a reflection of consolidation in the market. Companies such as PLB and Bottle Green, which previously hawked their wares from some of the largest stands, are among the firms that have been swallowed up. But in challenging economic times it is a case of survival of the fittest and visitors pounding the floor…

Conviviality has reported sales nearly doubled to £1.56bn for the year ending 30 April 2017. Last year the company announced it planned to strengthen its management team and reorganise its activities into three business units: Conviviality Direct, Conviviality Retail and Conviviality Trading. In its latest financial statement it reported underlying sales for each business unit have been strong with good organic growth compared to the…