The Bargain Booze store in Chepstow, Wales has changed hands, with the Pitt family who owned and operated the store for the last 15 years decided to call it quits. The store came to the market to allow the couple to retire.
Located within a busy residential estate, the established local convenience store has been purchased by Pradeep Thangaraj, who plans to operate the business alongside his family, experienced retail operators who currently run a business called VS Wine Limited.
Specialist business property adviser Christie & Co facilitated the sale, with the funding secured by Christie Finance.
Joe Brayne, senior business agent at Christie & Co who handled the sale, commented, “It was a pleasure to work with Mr and Mrs Pitt throughout the process. The new buyer has a wealth of experience in retail and is looking to continue to add to the portfolio.”
Global wine production is set to fall again this year to its lowest level since 1961 due to climate change, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV) said Friday.
Output is estimated to reach between 227 million and 235 million hectolitres in 29 countries accounting for 85 percent of global production, according to the intergovernmental organisation.
If production reaches the midpoint of 231 million hectolitres, it would be down 2 per cent from 2023 and a drop of 13 per cent compared to the average of the 10 previous years.
"Climatic challenges across both hemispheres are once again major contributors to the reduced global production volume," OIV said in a report.
"The preliminary estimates reveal a complex landscape of climatic disruptions across EU wine regions due to climate change," it said.
"As with 2023, extreme or atypical meteorological events are the key influence on global production, with early frosts, heavy rainfall, and prolonged drought dramatically impacting vineyard productivity."
European production, which accounts for 60 per cent of the global total, is down 11 per cent overall, with only Hungary and Portugal producing wine at levels near average. At current trends, Europe's production will be the lowest in the 21st century, according to OIV head of statistics Giorgio Delgrosso.
Output in France, the biggest producer last year, is set to fall by 23 per cent to 36.9 million hectolitres, the largest drop in the sector.
Italy recovered slightly from last year's low volume to reach 41 million hectolitres and reclaim the top spot ahead of France. Spain remains Europe's third-largest producer.
In the southern hemisphere, which accounts for about 20 per cent of world wine output, production is at its lowest in two decades.
OIV director John Barker said there was an "increasing volatility" and that southern countries could no longer make up for shortfalls when there are problems in northern-hemisphere countries.
He said the wine industry had to find answers to deal with the growing impact of climate change and sustainability.
"Only a small group of regions - notably the United States and several Eastern European countries including Hungary, Georgia, and Moldova - enjoyed more favourable climatic conditions, achieving average or above-average production volumes," OIV said.
The IWSR drinks consultancy said that wine consumption also fell by 3.9 per cent in the first six months of the year, mainly because of consumers changing habits.
Wine drinking has fallen 20 per cent since 2019, according to IWSR. It said that only consumption of Italian sparkling prosecco had increased in the first six months of 2024. Consumption of French champagne was down 8.6 per cent.
Britain's Supreme has bought out loss-making tea brand Typhoo Tea from administration in a 10.2 million pound deal, the fast-moving consumer products seller said on Monday (2).
The 120-year-old tea brand had fallen into administration in November due to declining sales and mounting debt pressures. A break-in at its Merseyside factory in August 2023 exacerbated the company's cost pressures, and the site was subsequently shuttered.
Typhoo generated revenues of about £20m for the year to 30 September, with a pre-tax loss of about £4.6m. The new owner said it plans to run Typhoo on a “capital-light, outsourced manufacturing model” in a bid to improve profits.
As stated by the FMCG giant, Supreme plans to turn Typhoo’s fortunes around by leveraging its efficient supply network to keep products flowing into stores, thereby reducing some of the costs which were dragging Typhoo down, and giving it a new lease of life.
The company’s decision to purchase Typhoo is a mix of sound business rationale and personal affinity.
Sandy Chadha, Supreme CEO, said, “I grew up with Typhoo. Drinking it and watching the ‘you only get an OO with Typhoo’ ads with Su Pollard from Hi-di-Hi. That was my era. Typhoo is such an iconic brand, and with Supreme’s distribution network and resources, we have the scope to grow and develop it.
“The acquisition of Typhoo Tea Ltd marks a significant step in our broader diversification strategy and brings one of the most iconic UK consumer brands into the Supreme family. I believe Typhoo will thrive under our ownership, further benefitting from Supreme’s significant market reach and successful track record in creating brand loyalty, making us an ideal fit for this business.
“We are very excited about these latest additions to our portfolio, which mean we can serve our existing customers even better and get acquainted with many new ones.”
Supreme PLC is a Manchester-based company that manufactures and supplies a variety of everyday items to supermarkets, specialist retailers and direct to consumers. These include Duracell and Energizer batteries, SCI-MX (sports nutrition), Sealions (nutritional supplements), Perfectly Clear drinks, and Black & Decker lighting. Supreme also supplies several brands of vapes, including its own-manufactured 88Vape.
The latest move is said to be part of a strategy by Supreme to expand its operations away from vaping, after buying the soft drinks business Clearly Drinks earlier this year, before a planned government crackdown on disposable vapes.
Sugro UK, the member-owned buying and marketing group, once again hosted its annual overseas Business Convention. This year it was held in numerous locations throughout India.
This highly successful event marked another milestone for the Group, delivering substantial incremental growth with almost 10 million cases purchased during a three-month incentive period, benefiting both Members and Supply Partners alike.
The convention brought together over 80 Members and Suppliers for a mix of formal and informal oneto-one business sessions, fostering strong networking opportunities and bolstering the marketplace. Feedback from attendees highlighted the exceptional value of face-to-face interaction, emphasising how these events continue to strengthen the Sugro ‘Family’ dynamic.
Beyond business discussions, Sugro UK extended its impact through a meaningful charitable initiative tied to the location of this year’s convention. As part of its commitment to giving back to the communities hosting their events, Sugro UK, alongside Supply Partners—Red Bull, Suntory Beverages, Britvic and AG Barr—made a significant donation to support the CSR Project Jaisalmer.
The project will help renovate the Government Upper Primary School in Jaisalmer, which has been neglected by authorities for many years and lacks basic sanitary facilities. Established in 1964, the school serves 100 pupils, who urgently need improved conditions.
Sugro’s donation will directly support the renovation of sanitation facilities for both boys and girls, ensuring a healthier and more dignified learning environment for the children. This project will make a massive different for all pupils, but for the girls, in particular, whose school attendance rates significantly drops due to period poverty (According to Dasra, 23 million girls drop out of school every year in India due to a lack of menstrual hygiene management facilities in schools).
Emma Senior, Managing Director at Sugro UK, commented, “This was a record year of attendees for the Sugro Convention and the feedback from members and suppliers alike has been incredible. It was fantastic to see so many new faces, with some suppliers attending for the first time.
My personal highlight was cutting the ribbon on the toilets in the Jaisalmer school. We had a resounding welcome from the children, their teachers and the leaders from the town. Their appreciation was certainly felt by all of us.”
Yulia Petitt, Head of Commercial & Marketing added: “Sugro has had 18 consecutive years of growth and continue with its strong performance in 2024 with the year-to-date growth of +15% compared with the same period in 2023. With some excellent business opportunities being discussed between Members and Suppliers during the convention trip, there is no doubt that the Group will continue with its remarkable performance this year.
"As always, the convention trip was delivered with very high standards and some fantastic feedback from our Members and Suppliers. It was great to see how the event once again brought the Sugro ‘Family’ together, this time in the incredible setting of India.”
Looking ahead, Sugro UK is committed to hosting more successful events both locally and internationally. With its continued focus on business excellence and charitable initiatives, Sugro will keep supporting its Members and Supply Partners while driving growth, innovation, and community impact in the wholesale sector.
An exciting new rewards initiative launched by Allwyn – called “Share the Win” – is transforming National Lottery retailers into winners, simply by them selling a high value winning ticket or Scratchcard.
The new ‘Share the Win’ initiative is putting a range of prizes up for grabs for National Lottery retailers who sell high tier (£50,000 or more) winning draw-based games tickets – such as EuroMillions, Lotto, and Thunderball – or National Lottery Scratchcards. The scheme is open to all retailers where the winning ticketholder is happy to share details of their win.
The amount awarded to the National Lottery retailer will be linked to the size of the player’s win and celebrated with new in-store activation kit – including a special “Big Winner Made Here” poster and wall plaque, and for gold tier winners, a gold "Millionaire Made Here" Playstation.
There are three tiers of prizes available to retailers through the new initiative:
Gold tier - wins of more than £1m will net lucky retailers the top prize of £10,000
Silver tier - wins between £251,000 and £1m will be worth £5,000 to shop owners
Bronze tier - wins between £50,000 and £250,000 will see retailers pocket £2,000
The first winner to net a fantastic Share the Win prize has been unveiled as Drummond Miller, owner of Keystore in Dalkeith, Scotland, who has scooped the £5,000 silver tier prize for selling a winning National Lottery Thunderball ticket worth £500,000 to Raymond Young.
“Huge congratulations to Drummond for becoming our first ever Share the Win winner,” said Allwyn's Interim Retail Director, James Dunbar. “With this initiative, we are multiplying the joy of winning on The National Lottery by taking a player’s magnificent win and then rewarding the retailer who sold them their winning ticket. It adds a whole new dimension to selling National Lottery tickets for our retail partners, because simply selling a single lucky ticket could land them an incredible prize themselves. They’ll be able to then share in the amazing feeling of winning on The National Lottery!
“And this initiative not only rewards retailers for helping us to make huge National Lottery winners, but also for helping us to raise around £30 million each and every week for National Lottery-funded projects.”
Drummond Miller said: "Just as Christmas approaches, it is fantastic to find out that I’m the first retailer in the UK to win this amazing initiative. The £5,000 prize will bring some extra gold to the staff Christmas bonuses and early festive cheer to the shop, this year. The National Lottery has always driven extra traffic to Keystore, so this is more wonderful news for us and for all my potential future winners."
Raymond Young, who bought his winning National Lottery Thunderball ticket in Keystore (known locally as Fordel Services), said: “I’m chuffed to bits to see my local store win because of my luck. It was great to win and hopefully the lucky store can spread a little of my fortune through the local community.”
National Lottery retailers can head to the National Lottery Retailer Hub to ensure they're opted in to receive email communications, so they don't miss out on this exciting opportunity.
The government has on Friday published a policy update on recycling, introducing significant changes for businesses to streamline recycling practices and improve sustainability. Effective by 31 March 2025, these reforms set new standards for waste collection across England, aiming to create a consistent system that benefits the environment and reduces confusion.
Businesses and non-domestic premises, including schools and hospitals, must arrange for the collection of the following recyclable waste streams:
Glass such as drinks bottles and rinsed empty food jars
Metal such as drinks cans and food tins, empty aerosols, aluminium foil, aluminium food trays and tubes
Plastic such as rinsed empty food containers and bottles
Paper such as old newspapers and envelopes
Cardboard such as delivery boxes and packaging
Food leftovers or waste generated by food preparation
Businesses with fewer than 10 full-time equivalent employees (micro-firms) are exempt from these requirements until 31 March 2027.
Environmental charity WRAP has published a guide for the retail and wholesale sector, available here, to help implement recycling in the workplace.
Claire Shrewsbury, director of insights and innovation at WRAP, termed the incoming requirements on business recycling as a “hugely important step.”
“There are enormous environmental and financial gains to be realised by encouraging the 2.2 million business in England to separate food and recyclables from refuse. The two-year delay for micro-sized businesses will give smaller businesses more time to implement recycling into smaller or shared premises,” Shrewsbury said.
“WRAP is working with Defra and industry to develop new support tools and guidance to help all businesses with the transition. We will continue to work with trade bodies and local authorities to make transition as seamless as possible through our tools, technical support, and resources,” she added.