Graham Crawford joins Oakley Wine Agencies

Graham Crawford of Crown Cellars –  the wine division of Carlsberg UK – has joined Portuguese specialist Oakley Wine Agencies as national account manager.

Crawford, who will begin his new role on 21 June, was previously category manager and buyer for Crown Cellars.

“We are growing and this is an extremely exciting development for us. Sales of Portuguese wines in particular are very strong in the off-trade, and now we are seeing our recent partnerships in Spain delivering more and more business.

“Business levels have been particularly strong in our traditional trading areas of national retail and online sales during the pandemic.

“We expect that we are going to have a post Covid surge in listings, and Graham is joining us to help drive those sales. We also look to leverage our recent certification as agents and brokers under the BRC scheme.

“This is especially important for the supply of supermarket own label, one of our specialities and strengths,” said Nick Oakley, managing director of Oakley Wine Agencies.

“We are a family-run company, with my wife Jane dealing with finance and daughter Charlotte the technical and due diligence expert. Allison Shorter, our assistant, completes the set up, so Graham is joining a small team.  I am sure it’s going to be a fantastic ride, and he stays with us a long time,” he added.

Crawford said of the appointment: “I am thrilled and excited to join Oakley Wine Agencies. The company has such quality producers and has forged an unparalleled reputation as the ‘go-to’ supplier for Portuguese wines in the UK and Ireland, with Spain becoming increasingly important for them.

“After meeting Nick, Jane and Charlotte, I could see the opportunity to learn from them and to explore the opportunities for growth within retail and the UK on-trade.

“With the rise of Portuguese and premium Spanish wines across all channels in the UK, there is a real opportunity to expand and deliver on the potential for our winery partners.”