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VSPT Wine Group launches UK subsidiary
Fine wine group VSPT has announced the launch of a new subsidiary – VSPT UK – to strengthen distribution of its Chilean and Argentine wines on UK shores.
Comprised of some of the most influential wineries from Chile and Argentina, VSPT Wine Group has made a strategic decision to premiumise sales in its key markets. Early last year, the company announced plans to establish a new subsidiary in the US, while in January 2023, its China branch was launched.
Now, the newly formed VSPT UK will focus on developing the group’s premium portfolio in the UK.
The UK team will be headed up by Cristian Le Dantec, who has worked for VSPT for 18 years. Marcela Burgos, who is a WSET educator and MW Candidate, will be sales area manager, while John Hearn, who has more than 30 year of experience in the UK wine trade, will look after business strategy development.
A recently signed partnership with packaging giant Encirc for all VSPT UK’s bottling and warehousing will “provide an efficient route to market, allowing the subsidiary to bottle some of VSPT’s most well-known brands locally,” said the company. Favourite wine labels in the UK include San Pedro, Graffigna, Viña Leyda and Tarapacá.
Speaking of the move to prioritise the UK, Le Dantec said: “The UK is a key market for us. We are sure that this new strategy and route-to-market will help us to improve agility in terms of logistics and deliver best-in-class service. Our ambition is to become the preferred partner for retailers while we continue working with our current importers and distributors, like Enotria & Coe, who have an important role in our distribution strategy.”
The new UK arm of the group will also help to build on VSPT’s sustainability goals, with the parent company having already shown its commitment to environmental stewardship through its early membership to the IWCA, and the Sustainable Wine Roundtable, and its target to become completely carbon neutral by 2050, from vineyard to market.
“Being close to our partners and building brands together is key in order to premiumise and grow our business. We have been developing this model for a couple of years and we are confident with our new strategy being implemented in the UK”, says German Del Rio, VSPT global sales director.