Tony Laithwaite on Direct Wines

This show was published 18 March 2011

Overview

Direct Wines is a family business headed up by Tony Laithwaite and his wife Barbara. Its brands include Laithwaites, The Sunday Times Wine Club and Virgin Wines. In this second interview with Tony we hear how personal circumstances led to him taking a back seat while Barbara took up the reins, which in turn led to the couple hiring a management team. The turnover took a leap from £15 million to over £200 million - a huge step change for the company. More recently there has been a focus on overseas expansion with the Wall Street Journal's wine club and the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong and a strategic shift away from traditional media to the web to attract new customers.

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The music used for the UK Wine Show is Griffes de Jingle 1 by Marcel de la Jartèle and Silence by Etoile Noire.