80 per cent of Yealands Wine Group has been sold to an electricity network owner and operator in New Zealand. Marlborough Lines purchased the large stake in the company for a total $89 million. Announced in a statement released today, Yealands Wine Group Founder, Peter Yealands, assured that Yealands Wine Group maintains a strong foothold in the market, with demand from both New Zealand and internationall…

Supply chain business BevChain has welcomed two key appointments to its senior ranks. Bob Kennedy has joined the team as Chief Financial Officer, while David Miller has come on board as Group Manager Business & Operations Development. Bob joins the team from one of Australia’s leading spirits distributors, William Grant & Sons, where a stellar career that began in Scotland 20 years ago culminated …

The hospitality industry in NSW has continued to grow in employment, according to the Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing’s (OLGR) 2012-2013 Biennial Liquor Licence Return report. Conducted every second year, the biennial return collects information about liquor licences across the state, including statistics on trading hours, venue size, patron capacity, liquor accords and employment, among others. Accor…

Foley Family Wines has appointed Master of Wine, Alastair Maling, as its new Chief Group Winemaker/Head of Viticulture. Based in New Zealand, Mr. Maling was also previously head of winemaking at Villa Maria. Now based at Foley Wines, he will oversee winemaking and viticulture for Foley’s wineries including Te Kairanga and Martinborough Vineyards, as well as Vavasour, Goldwater and Grove Mill. Foley Family…

Members of the drinks industry will be treated to all things wine, beer, spirits and cocktails at the inaugural Drinks Industry Show, which will be held at Luna Park Sydney on Monday 16 – Tuesday 17 November. This trade-only show is designed and supported by the drinks industry with no general public in attendance. The purpose of this event is to facilitate market share growth and to re-connect decision m…

Visitors to the Hunter Valley may have been left puzzled last week after signage at the Tempus Two Cellar Door was replaced with a Roche Estate masthead. While this may be the first time many have heard of the new name, Roche Group in fact purchased the property from Australian Vintage back in 2009. Also owner of the Hunter Valley Gardens, Roche Group is hoping to grow its portfolio of properties in the r…

During Woolworths Limited’s trading update this week, Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director, Grant O’Brien announced that he would be retiring later this year. The decision comes after the company revealed continued declines in Q4’15 sales. “At the recent Investor Day we set out clear strategies to grow our businesses over the next three years and we have been working hard to execute these plans. …

Tim Salt, Managing Director of Diageo Australia has resigned. Tim leaves after seven years in the role, joining in 2008 from various marketing roles with Unilever, Allied Lyons, PepsiCo and Lion Nathan in the UK, US and Australia. Commenting on his resignation, Mr. Salt said: “I have had seven wonderful years at the helm of Diageo Australia and I remain truly grateful to have led such a great business. “T…

Carlton & United Breweries’ (CUB) passionate leaders Mike Walsh, Richard Oppy and Peter Filipovic say over the next few months retailers and suppliers will need to look closer at how to influence the beer and cider categories. Where do they think growth will come from? For CUB, the answer lies with easy drinking styles and the fresh, quality drinking experience the on-trade offers.

Representative bodies for the retail sector, Australian National Retailers’ Association (ANRA) and Master Grocers Australia/Liquor Retailers Australia (MGA/LRA) have both voiced their concern over the Fair Work Commission’s decision to increase the minimum wage by 2.5 per cent. Both associations previously shared their concerns with the commissioning body in the lead up to the decision, advocating that a …