UK has ‘busiest wine-buying day of the year’

Yesterday was Britain’s busiest online wine-buying day of the year, according to the UK’s largest home-delivery wine merchant.

Online wine sales are expected to go up by 12% worldwide over the next four years (Photo: Wiki)

Laithwaite’s was expecting to deliver 126,000 cases – equivalent to 1.5 million bottles of wine – across the UK yesterday.

The company also expects to have 58% of its annual Champagne sales and 45% of its Prosecco sales during the Christmas period.

“This Christmas is set to go off with a pop,” said David Thatcher, CEO at Laithwaite’s Wine.

“Monday 14th December is the most popular date to buy wine as many of us finalise festive plans prior to our last full week of work before the Christmas break.”

More and more people are also taking their Christmas wine shopping online, with Laithwaite’s web sales up 51% on last year.

The retailer has also seen sales of Christmas gifts through its gifting service hit nearly £2m.

Mr Thatcher said: “Our customers are based all over the country from John O’Groats to Land’s End, so we have a good picture of the nation’s habits”

Online wine sales worldwide are expected to grow by 12% over the next four years.

In the UK, online wine sales grew by 11% in the first three months of 2015 alone, researchers at Rabobank revealed in October.