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Laithwaites partners with DRINKS to broaden US ecommerce reach

30 July 2025 By Sophie Arundel

Laithwaites has teamed up with AI SaaS platform Drinks to make its portfolio of wines more accessible across the US. The move aims to boost online distribution while supporting small producers.

Direct-to-consumer wine specialist Laithwaites has partnered with US eCommerce platform DRINKS to broaden access to its wine portfolio across the US market.

The deal enables Direct Wines Inc.—which holds the exclusive US rights to the Laithwaites brand – to distribute its wines through the DRINKS Anywhere platform. The integration opens up compliant, digital alcohol sales across 44 states via a seamless API-based model.

Michael Johnson, president CEO of Direct Wines Inc. said around 50 wines from its portfolio will be available on the platform initially, with the potential to scale to several hundred depending on demand.

“Apart from California, we will focus on areas where we have a competitive advantage and untapped demand – regions like Bordeaux, England (Sparkling), Puglia and Tuscany, Rioja, Portugal, Mendoza, and the Southern Hemisphere trio of Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa,” he said.

The company confirmed that fulfilment and logistics will remain unchanged at first, unless unexpected spikes in specific regions necessitate review. While the level of projected sales growth remains commercially sensitive, the focus remains on long-term value.

“This partnership enables us to reach new customers while continuing to support the small, independent winemakers we’ve always championed,” said Johnson. “We’re excited to be part of a forward-thinking network that values quality, transparency, and innovation in wine distribution.”

AI-driven platform powers compliance and curation

The DRINKS Anywhere platform is designed to allow brands and digital retailers to sell alcohol online without holding their own alcohol licences. Zac Brandenberg, co-founder and CEO of DRINKS explained: “AI is embedded across DRINKS Assure and DRINKS Anywhere, powering everything from real-time compliance to intelligent merchandising. On the compliance side, AI automates age verification, product-level shipping restrictions, tax calculations, and volume limits across 44 states.”

“This transforms what used to require legal teams and manual reviews into an instant, API-driven process.”

The same AI engine, called PAIR, is used to drive personalised and predictive merchandising based on real transaction data and consumer behaviour. “Our PAIR AI recommendation engine is trained on millions of verified alcohol purchases and understands which attributes actually drive conversions. It doesn’t just analyse flavour profiles or price points; it evaluates how factors like label colour, typography, imagery, and layout influence different consumer groups.”

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“This matters because 85% of wine purchases are driven by visual appeal. PAIR connects those visual cues with real transaction data and regional behaviour to surface the products shoppers are most likely to buy, before they even realise it themselves.”

Supporting small producers through digital storytelling

The move also emphasised the company’s continued commitment to small-scale producers:

“We will work with DRINKS to ensure that partners have access to the story or copy that goes with each wine, and end customers will be able to find these wines on Laithwaites.com and can access tasting notes, photography and, in some cases, in-depth interviews and videos with wine makers that we support.”

Laithwaites has long championed independent wineries, with its US business operating for over 25 years in partnership with licensed retailers such as Lionstone. Globally, the company sources wines from a broad range of family-run estates and curates a portfolio of hard-to-find wines with strong provenance.

“Laithwaites has been connecting wine lovers with exceptional bottles for more than 25 years in the US.,” said Zac Brandenberg, co-founder and CEO of DRINKS. “We’re thrilled to welcome them into the DRINKS ecosystem and make their celebrated wines more widely available across the country through our platform.”

Scaling digital distribution through decentralisation

DRINKS expects further international suppliers to join its network. Brandenberg, said:“DRINKS Assure supports producers and retailers with the regulatory technology needed to be part of our supply-side ecosystem, and we’re looking forward to working with those clients to expand their distribution.”

As DRINKS Anywhere continues to scale, the platform seeks to build a decentralised, digital-first supply chain to meet consumer demand wherever people shop online.

“Partnerships like this are essential to building the decentralised, digital-first supply chain of the future,” Brandenberg said.

The collaboration between Laithwaites and DRINKS aims to combine deep wine expertise with technical innovation, giving consumers across the US easier access to high-quality wines while continuing to support the global network of independent producers behind them.

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