Waverley’s Neil Bruce goes solo

WaverleyTBS’s former wine director Neil Bruce has set up his own on-trade consultancy.

Bruce left WaverleyTBS and set up on his own nearly a month ago with his new company, Studio Alto.

Speaking to the drinks business, Bruce said that after four years at WaverleyTBS he felt it was “time to move on and do something different”.

Studio Alto’s aim is “to optimise on-trade wine margins”. Bruce said that his 20 years in the trade operating at all points along the supply chain gave him a unique insight into the market. Furthermore, he felt the on-trade had the most potential for his particular venture.

“From first-hand experience I know what wines cost, down to the penny, but equally what prices they need to be marketed at, and how, in order to sell through.”

“In the off-trade there’s not very much I can tell buyers to do differently,” he admitted.

“But in the on-trade wine margins are not being optimised, it remains an immature market and consumers are too often short-changed.

“As an industry we’re looking at it from our particular link in the chain. That’s one of the things that excites me as an independent. I’m only interested in helping the consumer in that outlet and wine margins being optimised.”

Bruce was sure to say that he has no intention of becoming “like some supermarkets and taking the costs out for the outlet”.

Rather he said he hoped to offer a more “bespoke service” to venues looking to improve their wine offering for consumers and also their returns.

He continued that his scope was broad from, “gastropubs to hotels but also I’m in discussions with a Michelin-starred outlet.”

Bruce will offer what he has termed gold, silver and bronze services. Bronze will “activate the front end only” according to Bruce whereas the gold service will overhaul a venue’s entire value chain.