Q&A: Matt Tipping, CEO, Jeroboams

Tell us more about your purchase of Hayward Bros. Wines?

It's a very exciting move: we're acquiring some fantastic producers - including Maison Jaffelin and Kopke Port - and a leading UK wholesaler. But this strategic acquisition is more than a joining of companies. It's a coming together of families, friends, resources and shared values. It significantly expands our national capabilities, brings new producers into our portfolio and reinforces our position as the UK's leading independent fine wine merchant. It's also a moment of pride in our 40th year, as we invest in the future of independent, service-led fine wine distribution across the UK, providing the Jeroboams Group with a strong foundation for growth.

You've marked Jeroboams' 40th anniversary in 2025 with a major technology rollout - how do you expect it to transform customer experience and internal operations?

It's a case of watch this space with regard to further details. However, it is a customer-facing initiative which will benefit both our private customers and our trade customers. Behind the scenes, it will also automate a significant number of processes which are currently either manual or semi-automated. This will free up our admin team's time and allow them to focus on the parts of their roles which add the most value to Jeroboams. It's been two years in the planning and represents a significant step forward for Jeroboams as a business.

How do you balance the rapid growth of Jeroboams Trade against the core retail business, and what challenges have you faced in repositioning the trade arm?

Our trade arm has been part of the business since we integrated Laytons into the group in 1999. It's been known as Jeroboams Trade since 2018. All of our divisions focus on quality of service and ensuring the very best quality of wine at each price point. That cultural consistency means that we can focus on the practical decisions of ensuring the right wines are allocated to the correct channel. We are very proud of our bricks and mortar shops and they give us a significant competitive advantage over other wholesalers. This advantage comes from knowing first-hand our consumers' reactions to the wines and through being able to offer emergency deliveries to accounts within London by using the shops as hubs. The major challenge has been gaining visibility within the trade and shifting the perception of Jeroboams from a fine wine retailer to also being a respected importer and distributor of exclusive agencies. It's now 35-40% of our business and we have a serious customer base, with significant relationships that have been ongoing for over 20 years. It really feels like we're entering a new era for Jeroboams on many levels, and we are excited about what the future holds.

You've shifted toward empowering shop managers with more local decision making alongside a new online training platform. How is that working out so far?

Jeroboams is a family-owned company, and we focus on long-term success over short-term tactics. Fundamental to this approach is encouraging our team to think for themselves, to be curious, to question how things can be improved. The day-to-day work within the shops is a long way from the boardroom. Our shop teams know their customers and communities far better than anyone else in the company. It therefore makes perfect sense to empower the team to make the right decisions for their particular shop. The new training platform has made a significant difference and we plan to expand it further with new modules for both the retail team and our other teams within the business. We have also added our wellbeing modules, including providing our managers with links to the Business Advisory Platform. This contains a comprehensive resource library which we have been working with the Drinks Trust and other merchants to build and refine. The impact of empowering the managers and training them well has been improved staff retention, increased engagement across shop teams, with customers, and within the community - all of which lead to better customer experience and enhanced reputation.

Finally, are you optimistic or pessimistic about the future of the UK trade - and
why?

We are a very resilient industry and I look around and see the talented individuals who work in the wine industry and I'm reassured that, in the long-term, there are strong reasons to remain positive. Market conditions are cyclical and ultimately an upturn will be on its way. That said, we must first navigate the current issues we face. The combination of significant cost and regulatory increases at a time when sales growth is hard to achieve has meant that making a profit is incredibly difficult. I am working hard to ensure that we are doing everything possible to be well-positioned for when the market improves. That involves ensuring that we are working as efficiently as possible and looking after the cash, whilst also investing in our people and in our customer-facing technology. We continue to be a business that is focused on providing quality across our product range and services. This unrelenting focus on quality is central to our future success - ultimately, quality endures.