Meet the team | Say hello to Wine RTDs lead Mark Oldfield.

SAY HELLO TO... MARK OLDFIELD

ABOUTMARK

MARK OLDFIELD, CATEGORY LEAD WINE & RTDS

Mark Oldfield heads up the team that handles the Wine and RTDs categories for Booker. He has been in this role for for around a year but he has been with Booker for 16 years in total, so he understands the business and he understands the evolving needs of Booker's customers.

Prior to that, Mark spent many years in wholesale and has invaluable experience in senior roles within buying teams which helps him ensure that he and his team deliver a fantastic service.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE KEY FUNCTIONS OF YOUR ROLE? TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE KEY FUNCTIONS OF YOUR ROLE?

There are four category managers in our fantastic team, of which I am the lead. We split responsibilities across the major suppliers and that covers product listings, range, promotions, pricing and availability, so we have quite a broad remit!

We also have to tailor the range and the offering to suit the different parts of the Booker business. Caterers and licensees, for example, have quite different requirements from the retail side of the business, so a lot of work goes into that.

DESCRIBE YOUR CAREER JOURNEY UP UNTIL NOW?

I took up the post of Category Lead for Wine and RTDs a year ago, but I’ve been at Booker for 16 years and have worked across grocery, catering and now wine and RTDs, so I have a really good understanding of the business.

Ten years prior to that, I started my career at an independent cash and carry in the Midlands. I progressed from the ground up, from checkouts to supervisor, then duty manager before moving into the buying team. My early years have proved invaluable as they have meant that I’ve seen almost every facet of the business. WHAT’S THE BEST BIT ABOUT YOUR JOB?

There are three key things: the first one being that every day is different. There’s no set timetable, it varies throughout the day, week and year. Sometimes the role is office-based, sometimes I’m out visiting caterers and sometimes I’m visiting suppliers and getting insights and information from them, so it's really broad.

The second thing is the catering and on-trade customers themselves. They really keep you on your toes! Getting to spend time with them in their businesses is something I love and fortunately since lockdown restrictions have eased I’ve been able to get back to doing that a lot this year.

The third thing is my team. They are an incredible bunch of truly dedicated people who between them have more than 60 years of wine-buying experience, so they certainly know their stuff!

WHAT KEY TRENDS ARE DRIVING WINE SALES AT THE MOMENT?

Overall we have been seeing an increased demand for premium ranges and low and no alcohol but it's a tricky environment at the moment with current trends likely to change with the cost of living crisis. This makes having a strong core offering even more important then ever. We’re seeing

A key priority is maximising availability and mitigating cost price increases from the supply base and we're working hard with our suppliers to do this.

strong growth in our exclusive brands like Previata Italian Pinot Grigio, Pattersons Grove New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and our San Andres Chilean range. Together, these brands are in triple digit growth.

These are all priced as EDLP ranges and we aim to lock them down for 12 weeks as a minimum in line with our food and drink guide. This enables our customers to have confidence when building their wine lists.

In general terms, Prosecco is the most important sparkling product for caters, Italian Pinot Grigio is the biggest white by volume and New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is the biggest by value. We have some great exclusive brands combined with great prices backed up by quality liquids. Add these to your menu and you won't go far wrong.

WHAT IS THE MAIN FOCUS OF ACTIVITY IN YOUR DEPARTMENT AT THE MOMENT?

Availability and mitigating cost price increases from the supply base is our key priority so that we can maintain great every day low pricing for our customers. One area where pricing has really been under pressure is Prosecco due to low availability of product. In response to that we launched an Italian Sparkling wine in our Previata brand at just £29.99 to provide a great entry price point into the sparkling market. The product has a very similar taste profile to Prosecco and is a great alternative.

WHAT ELSE CAN CUSTOMERS LOOK FORWARD TO ON WINE?

Caterers and licensees will continue to see strong every day low prices and great availability on key

Caterers and licensees will continue to see strong promotions on key brands which help to drive footfall and profits.

products and brands throughout the year which really does help to protect availability and thus footfall and profits. With sweeter wines also making a comeback so we will also be increasing our range and distribution on Jam Shed and 19 Crimes offering alternatives to our own exclusive brands.

Argentinian Malbec is still a really on-trend growth area too, so we’ll also be increasing our range and distribution on Trivento to offer more choice. So whether you want an exclusive Booker product to stand out from the crowd or a recognised quality brand, you will be able to pick and choose what works best for your business.

TALK TO US ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY SEASONAL EVENTS?

Seasonal events are really important in the wine category. We are currently working on the Christmas opportunity at the moment which is obviously a key one.

Everyone wants to treat themselves at Christmas, so there is a huge opportunity to upsell more premium products. Sparkling products and red wines in particular will offer fantastic opportunities for customers to grow sales and profits this Christmas. Providing recommendations to your consumers remains a great way to increase wine sales so whether that be a white or rosé spritz in the summer months or mulled wine in winter, you will see more lots more suggestions and ideas from Booker in future communications to help maximise these opportunities.

HOW IS THE LOW TO NO WINE CATEGORY PERFORMING?

The total low to no alcohol category is flying and wine is certainly no exception, growing at 900% year on year. For a caterer or licensee looking to enter the low to no wine category for the first time or ramp up their offer, I would suggest keeping it small and simple to start with. Go for something like a McGuigan Zero which is one of the better-flavoured no alcohol wines.

The low to no market has made some major improvements recently and some of these new products such as McGuigan Zero really stand up. For a no alcohol sparkling I’d also suggest stocking Nozeco.

WHAT’S MARK HEARING...

AUSTRALIA, SWEETNESS, AVAILABILITY

One of the most noticeable trends at the moment is a movement into Australian wines. Australia is the biggest country in the world in terms of sales volume so it’s really important that customers have a good core Australian offering across each of the main price brackets.

Australian wines tend to offer that sweeter taste profile which a growing number of customers are looking for these days. They also tend to be more robust in terms of price and availability, which is key.

Australian wines don’t tend to struggle with supply challenges which helps to keep consistency in both price and availability.