Former Tesco wine buyer moves to Provence rosé maker Mirabeau

Provence rosé wine brand Mirabeau has hired former Tesco wine buyer Rob Dixon as head of retail in the UK and Ireland.

Dixon was most recently working as a senior buyer for grocery chain Tesco, managing its French wine, Champagne and sparkling wine portfolio.

He became senior wine buying manager in 2015, and announced his departure from Tesco last week after joining the firm 15 years ago.

Stephen Cronk, co-founder of Mirabeau, said: “We are delighted to have attracted such a high-profile wine industry figure to our family business.

Cronk said Dixon’s experience with the UK’s biggest supermarket chain “will be a major advantage as we move towards our 10-year anniversary in 2020.

“Provence Rosé wine continues to grow globally and for Mirabeau the UK remains a key market and is as buoyant as ever. Rob will be working across all retail channels in the UK and, in particular, with our long-standing client Waitrose & Partners.”

Last month Mirabeau bought a 20-hectare estate near La Garde-Freinet, in the commune of the Golfe de Saint-Tropez, which will be used to entertain clients and help the business branch further into tourism, an off-shoot of the wine industry that has become increasingly popular in Provence.

Dixon will work with sales director Peter Edwards. Edwards joined Mirabeau last year from his role at Moët Hennessy UK Ltd, where he managed its national on-trade client base as well as working in other sales roles over 17 years with the LVMH Group.