Slurp expands into Asia

Online wine company Slurp is looking to tap into the booming Asian market with the launch of Slurp.asia.

The new division will be based in Hong Kong and will serve customers across the Asia Pacific region.

Slurp CEO Jeremy Howard first revealed plans for the Asian expansion to the drinks business in May this year.

The Slurp.asia website will offer a selection of high quality wines from across the world.

A statement from the company said: “Slurp.asia will offer a range of spirits and specialist beers alongside a comprehensive wine list encompassing everything from the most expensive investment wines through New World drinking options.”

Slurp.asia aims to replicate the success of the Slurp.co.uk brand in the UK – where the company has carved out something of a niche offering a very wide range of products with competitive pricing, handy online selection tools and no minimum order requirements.

Although the Asian range will initially be smaller than Slurp’s 7,000+ UK products, “the same commitment to choice and ease of ordering will be paramount”, according to the company.

Slurp.asia will be run by managing director Tom Chamberlain, a former winemaker in both Australia and the US.

Products will be sourced locally, with some fine wines being offered direct from Slurp’s London bonded facilities.

The company is also proud of the technical wizardry behind the site.

A statement said: “The launch of Slurp.asia represents a mini triumph of British software engineering.

“Slurp technicians have designed a single software platform that allows all customer, sales, products and inventory data to be managed across different websites in different countries using just one web-based system.

“It is this platform that will now facilitate the rapid expansion of Slurp brands in multiple countries over the next 12 months.”