The Buyer | Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Hallgarten & Novum Wines acquired by Coterie Holdings

Following its recent announcement of the appointment of Michael Saunders as CEO, Coterie Holdings is delighted to share the news of its acquisition of Hallgarten & Novum Wines.

Widely regarded as one of the UK industry’s leading specialist wine importers, Hallgarten has been purchased by Coterie for an undisclosed sum from the Pieroth family.

Andrew Bewes, Managing Director for Hallgarten & Novum Wines and Howard Falk, Hallgarten’s Chief Financial Officer, will continue to lead the business. Hallgarten joins fine wine merchant Lay & Wheeler, bonded storage facility Coterie Vaults, and wine lending business Jera as part of Coterie’s impressive portfolio of companies curated to support the buying, storage, trading, moving, financing, and drinking of fine wine.

With ambitious plans for strategic growth, the addition of Hallgarten to the group cements Coterie’s vision to deliver a unique, market leading fine wine group.

Michael Saunders, appointed CEO for Coterie Holdings, comments: “We are delighted to welcome Hallgarten into the Coterie family. A best-in-class business, as recognised by this year’s trophies from the International Wine Challenge, Drinks Business and the IWSC, Hallgarten’s addition to the group complements the other industry leading businesses already part of Coterie’s portfolio.

“With Hallgarten’s leading premium trade distribution, together with the long-standing relationships developed by the fine wine team at Lay & Wheeler, Coterie can now provide an unparalleled multi- channel offer to fine wine customers throughout the on and off trade.

“I am grateful to the Pieroth family for their stewardship of Hallgarten since 1972 and I look forward to supporting the business into an exciting new era. Having known Andrew for many years, I am also greatly looking forward to this opportunity to work with him as a colleague, rather than a competitor.”

Andrew Bewes, Hallgarten’s Managing Director since 2009 adds: “We are delighted to be joining the Coterie business. Hallgarten is a natural fit in the portfolio of premium wine businesses which offer obvious benefits and natural synergies to ensure our continued growth and success. Coterie fully back what we are doing in the market, and with the support of the wider group, I am looking forward to really accelerating our growth plans.

“On a personal note, I am very excited for the opportunity this brings and for a chance to work alongside Michael, whom I have known for over 30 years. There will be no change to the structure or management of Hallgarten, and it is very much business as usual as we continue to focus on our customers during this incredibly busy and important trading period.”

Hallgarten & Novum Wines joins Lay & Wheeler, Coterie Vaults and Jera under the Coterie Holdings group of fine wine businesses. Michael Saunders takes on the role of CEO of Coterie Holdings from 2nd January 2024.

Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Established in 1933, Hallgarten & Novum Wines celebrated its landmark 90th anniversary in 2023. One of the UK’s leading ‘specialist’ wine distributors, Hallgarten imports wines from producers in all corners of the winemaking world, supplying the country’s premium on and off-trade. With a portfolio of over 1,200 wines and a buying team led by one of the UK’s finest palates, Steve Daniel, alongside Master of Wine, Beverly Tabbron, Hallgarten are experts in wines unearthing from off the beaten track, coupled with a backbone of family-run producers from traditional winemaking regions.

Hallgarten Wines champions its people, sustainability and the wider wine industry through numerous industry-leading initiatives designed to position Hallgarten at the forefront of the sector. From its trailblazing Hallgarten Eco Standard, to its change-driven ED&I team, and strong category analysis and insights from its Customer Marketing team, Hallgarten is looking to shape the wine industry for the future.

In 2018, the business achieved the ISO 14001 accreditation for its dedication to minimising its environmental impact, as well as successfully meet all criteria to attain Investors in People accreditation. In recent years Hallgarten has been awarded the IWSC Wine Distributor Trophy 2023; The Drinks Business Drinks Company of the Year 2023 and Drinks Business On-Trade Supplier of the Year 2021; European Merchant of the Year in 2020 and 2019 by the Sommelier Wine Awards; and the prestigious International Wine Challenge On Trade Supplier of the Year 2023, as well as Merchant Wine List of the Year Award in 2019 and 2021.