Ask the Collective
The questions independent drinks founders ask most — answered. Distilled from years of community knowledge so the good stuff never disappears in the feed again.
What are the contact details for buying teams at major UK retailers, food halls, and pub chains?
Members have shared specific buying contacts for several major retailers and venues. Here's what the community has on file: **Retailers & Food Halls:** - **Diverse Fine Food** — Mark (mark@diversefinefood.co.uk) and Nicki (Nicki@diversefinefood.co.uk), both Directors - **Planet Organic** — Issy Turney (issy@planetorganic.com) for RTD/spirits - **Wholefoods** — Alice Fishman (Alice.Fishman@wholefoods.com) for RTD/spirits - **John Lewis Food Halls** — Uses the same buying structure as Waitrose for each category; GBExchange / Fells handle alcohol route to market to JLP - **Waitrose** — John Vine is the buyer; Lucille Kavanagh runs special event style launches and may be relevant for compelling stories - **Partridges** — Carlo is the drinks buyer (wines@partridges.co.uk or wine@partridges.co.uk); note that Partridges stock through HT Drinks and Enotria, and Carlo prefers in-person visits over email. He's often in store. **Pub Chains:** - **Urban Pubs and Bars** — Adam Donnelly (adam.donnelly@urbanpubsandbars.com) for spirits range decisions **Clearance/Closeout:** - **Heley International** — Nick L (NickL@heley-int.com) buys close-to-expiry or clearance stock **Important caveat:** Members noted that some buyers (notably Partridges' Carlo) do not respond to email and require in-person contact; visiting in store is the recommended approach. SSP and WHSmith contact details were requested but not provided in the community discussion.
Who are the key retail buyers and contacts to target for UK drinks listings, and how responsive are they?
Finding and contacting major UK retail buyers is challenging—many are notoriously unresponsive to outreach. Members have identified several buyers worth targeting, though persistence and alternative contact methods may be needed. **Key contacts members have named:** - **Dawn Davies** — Whisky Exchange / Specialty Drinks - **Nick Bell** — Harvey Nichols - **Nick Flemming** — Harrods - **John Vine** — Waitrose - **Chris Appleby** — Enoteca (reported as good to deal with) - **Alice Fishman** — Previously assistant buyer at Wholefoods (though members report she is unresponsive) **Caveats and warnings:** - Many major retail buyers are "literally uncontactable" and do not respond to email outreach (members reported sending multiple emails with no reply). - Waitrose and Wholefoods buyers in particular have been flagged as difficult to reach; one member joked about extreme persistence tactics. - The group expressed frustration that some buyers operate as if "they wouldn't survive in the brutal world of entrepreneurship." - Chris Appleby at Enoteca is one of the few explicitly noted as responsive and good to deal with, suggesting he may be an easier entry point. Members did not provide specific listing requirements, onboarding processes, or minimum order thresholds in the excerpts.
Who are the key buying contacts at major UK wine and spirits wholesalers like Bibendum, and how do members approach getting stocked?
Getting spirits stocked in major wholesalers requires identifying the right buying contact. Members report that **Bibendum**'s spirits buying falls under **Matt Clark Beverages (MCB)**, where the key contact is **Romain**. Members recommend reaching out directly to these contacts and note that having clear performance data (like break-even analysis or media coverage) can strengthen pitches. One member reported having "really good results with a few brands" through this approach and offered to share their experience directly. The process appears to involve direct outreach to category buyers rather than formal submission portals.