The Wine Merchant issue 87

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THE WINE MERCHANT. Issue 87, January 2020

Dog of the Month: Daisy Satchells, Burnham Market

Safely gathered in It was a soggy harvest at Rathfinny in Sussex, but yields were up by 19%, the producer says

Wine shops weather the storm Number of specialist independent wine shops in the UK remains static in a gloomy year for retail trade

D

espite a year of high street

turmoil, the number of specialist independent wine shops in the

UK has held firm, The Wine Merchant can reveal.

As the new decade dawns, there are 913

stores trading across the UK, down just

one on the 914 wine shops recorded at the start of 2019.

Although the performance compares

poorly with recent years, when an annual net increase of between 40 and 60

shops was commonplace, it represents

retail failures over the past year, including

unprecedented pressure.

Cook as well as specialist businesses

a remarkably resilient showing at a time when retail generally finds itself under

The British Retail Consortium reports

that 85,000 retail jobs were lost in the

12 months to October. Online sales now

account for 19% of retail spend, putting more pressure on bricks-and-mortar

retailers who often also face punitive business rates and rent demands.

There has been a series of high-profile

famous names such as Mothercare,

Clintons, Patisserie Valerie and Thomas

such as Steamer Trading, Bathstore and Oddbins.

In the independent wine trade, new

openings have effectively compensated for

closures, with a number of existing players expanding while others – such as Borough Wines, Hailsham Cellars and Corks Out – have closed branches.

Š JackF / stockadobe.com

An independent magazine for independent retailers


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The Wine Merchant issue 87 by The Wine Merchant magazine - Issuu