North South Wines hits milestone £100 million in sales

North South Wines is celebrating “an important milestone”. We have reached £100 million’ worth of sales since the company creation in 2014.

Managing director and founder Kim Wilson said:

“This is a very important milestone for the company enabling us to be an established player within the UK wine trade. So, I am proud of what the team has achieved whilst staying lean and agile with just 24 staff members. This is a tribute to the dedication and commitment from the team. And we couldn’t have done without the support of our supply partners and customers, who have trusted us from day one.”

How North South Wines handled the pandemic

During the pandemic, North South Wines has been able to re-deploy some of its staff resources from on trade wholesale channel towards operations and the impulse sector. And this has enabled everyone to remain employed.

The retail side has been extremely busy through the off-trade channel, including multiples, discounters, convenience as well as online.

Wilson said: “We have weathered the Covid 19 storm well, we were quick to react and our brands have proven very resilient throughout Covid as shoppers have relied on brands they can trust. This is also true for our Sparkling portfolio despite the category having suffered from the pandemic, we actually successfully launched two new wines from La Gioiosa in the last 6 months – La Gioiosa Prosecco Rose DOC Milliesmato and La Gioiosa 0.00% Sparkling.

“We have been doing all we can to support the independent side of the business. And we have invested in raising brand awareness for some of our ‘exclusive to indies’ brands through PR campaigns and consumers activities. These include Three Wine Men Zoom tastings for South African range KWV The Mentors and Cortese from Sicily. As a result we have increased sales in independent retail and online.”

More on the company

UK wine agency North South Wines was founded in 2014 by Wilson. The company is 52% owned by management and 48% owned by producer shareholders. This includes De Bortoli Wines from Australia, The Wine People in Italy and the more recent addition of Reh Kendermann from Germany.

So, North South Wines now represents more than 27 wineries from 11 different countries. The company recorded sales of 1.25 million 9-litre cases per year and a turnover of nearly £26million.

Starting with a team of four, the business now has a full-time staff of 20. And they now operate across multiple channels, with customised portfolios aimed at each sector.  

In February 2021, North South Wines has confirmed the addition of Vina Ventisquero from Chile to its portfolio.