Fuller, Smith & Turner P.L.C., the London brewer and premium pub company, has announces that Neil Bruce has joined the Company as its new Head of Wine. Neil brings a wealth of experience of both buying and selling within the wine trade.
Neil has, in the past, been at Sainsbury’s, Bibendum and was the wine director at WaverlyTBS. For the last four years, Neil has been running an independent wine consultancy, Studio Alto, advising restaurants on how to optimise their wine offering, retailing and margins.
Neil joined Fuller’s earlier in June and is undergoing an intensive induction before taking over fully from retiring Wine Director, Mark Dally, in August.
Neil said: “Fuller’s is an amazing company – steeped in history and heritage, yet always looking to the future. The wine operation plays a crucial role, not just in supplying the Company’s own pub estate, where wine sales have risen in line with the increasing focus on delicious, home-cooked food, but also across a wide range of free trade outlets.
“As well as selling wine, Fuller’s has a broad agency portfolio and I’m looking forward to developing that further and building on the great relationships Mark has forged with wineries across the globe over the last 30 years.”
Key strand of premium drinks portfolio
Fuller’s Beer Company Managing Director, Ian Bray, said: “Neil will be a great asset to Fuller’s. He has a fantastic reputation in the wine trade and is a great choice to head up our very successful wine operation. Wine is already a key strand of our premium drinks portfolio and I expect this to continue to build in the future.
“I’m looking forward to working with him to bring more unique wines to our estate, further grow our free trade business and to build on the training we have been implementing in our own tied estate.”
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