Wine supplier Bibendum has expanded its on-trade training programme to provide bespoke academies for larger customers.
It is currently running schemes with Park Inn, Radisson Hotels and Living Room following a successful pilot scheme with Malmaison and Hotel du Vin last year. Six months later, average wine sales have grown by an average 10% in 75% of the participating hotels.
The typically three-month tailored courses combine wine education with more commercial, business-focused training and involve regular workshops, on-the-job assignments and ongoing assessments. Modules can include writing wine lists, market trends and segmentation, food and wine matching, training, managing promotions, and Wine & Spirit Education Trust qualifications.
"Effective wine training is all about professional development and changing behaviour rather than just passing on bite-sized nuggets of information," said Bibendum training manager Sarah Henson.
"We target specific roles within each business and ensure everyone who attends a Bibendum wine course leaves a lot better equipped to sell wine within their business."
"The new bespoke academy programmes are designed to build a robust wine culture and provide the partner businesses with a workforce that has the confidence and skills to increase sales and profitability."
● Bibendum was recently accredited with ISO 14001 certification for its environmentatl management systems. The group recycles more than 65% of its office waste, sends paperless invoices to 88% of customers, and uses a lightweight glass bottle for 18% of its wines, saving the equivalent of 500,000 bottles of glass and 621 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year.