The London International Wine Fair is plotting a refresh for 2014, as it announced plans to launch an in-depth report on the state of the UK wine trade.

The fair will team up with research company Wine Intelligence to produce the channel-specific report, which will be delivered at next summer’s trade show via workshops to an invited audience of wine buyers and UK suppliers.

“The fair is in a perfect position to conduct research on the category and well placed to deliver that, particularly to the multiple retailers,” said events director Ross Carter. “It’s about bringing the right parties together to deliver the research.” 

The change forms part of a major revamp of the trade show from 2014, which is being retitled the ‘London Wine Fair’ in a bid to reposition itself as a domestic wine ‘festival’.  As well as relocating to London Olympia and refreshing its logo and branding, it will do away with the rigid on- and off-trade segmentation, adding a standalone bulk wine section and boutique section devoted to imports from smaller producers. Improved interactive content and a membership system offering a more tailored service is also being introduced.

“The wine market has changed and we need to embrace this change”

Ross Carter

“The wine market has changed and we need to embrace this change,” Carter said.

The move comes after a number of key players in the wine industry withdrew from exhibiting at this year’s show, which runs at the Excel Centre from 20-22 May. However Carter said that some of the high profile withdrawals, which included Bibendum, Liberty and Enotria, had confirmed they would “consider” coming back.

“We need them to make it work,” he added. 

Because the exhibition costs had been seen as prohibitive and unsustainable, prices for 2014 are being cut by up to 25%. LWF 2014 will be more cost effective, contemporary and focussed, Carter added, with better targeted workshops, industry briefings and master classes to increase relevance to the trade and deliver better value.

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