It’s fair to say there have been a few leaving cards written and signed across the C&C Group and Bibendum in recent years. Some recognising more years of service than others. But no-one in any business is irreplaceable and as soon as the goodbye drinks are cleared away on a Friday evening, all companies brush themselves down and go again come Monday morning.
That’s very much the feeling you get when sitting down with the quietly confident and assured Jamie Avenell, the recently promoted wine buying director for the C&C Group - one of the most important positions of its type in the UK.
Jamie Avenell has nearly 15 years experience working in senior buying roles across Bibendum and the C&C Group
Now that he is in the role his promotion seems the most obvious step for C&C’s management to have taken. After all Avenell has been with the Bibendum business, in particular, through all its highs and lows over the last 14 years. He has bought wine and spirits from virtually every country that makes them and worked closely, and built strong relationships with Bibendum’s most important and loyal producers and suppliers.
But Avenell also brings two equally important assets - calmness and authority.
With so many external issues and head winds that all major drinks distributors are having to deal with, having that longevity, experience and know-how heading up your all important buying arm is crucial.
As Avenell explains: “I am still involved in everything I was doing before, the only difference being it is now my responsibility to make sure it all works. To go into a meeting not just ready to contribute, but to help set the agenda for the rest of the team to follow and to lay out and how we are going to do it.”
Joint strategy
The C&C Group is made up of a strong branded beer and brewing business, including Magners and Tennents, with a wide drinks distribution network, including Bibendum, Matthew Clark and Walker & Wodehouse, covering all channels of the drinks market
It is now six years since C&C, owners of Magners and a traditional brewer and drinks brand manufacturer, took over Bibendum and Matthew Clark and looked at how they can work together.
Avenell thinks all sides of the business are now in a much stronger position, particularly post Covid, to make a centralised buying operation work where the focus is very much on a close knit team of people with the experience and knowledge of how to make central and specialist buying work side by side.
“Covid changed the market significantly and we had to look at what we were doing and what the market was looking like. We had to see if we were doing things in the right way,” he says.
That meant setting up a centralised team that allowed Matthew Clark and Bibendum to maximise their potential and stop stepping on each others toes. “These are businesses that supplement each other and don’t really compete,” stresses Avenell.
A point illustrated by the fact there are only few customers that buy drinks from both Bibendum and Matthew Clark and 20 suppliers who work across both, he adds - but with rarely any of the same products.
“Before C&C we were competing businesses and the number one and number two drinks suppliers in the market,” says Avenell. “With C&C we don’t need to be doing that any more and can concentrate our efforts on our core strengths. Which are actually very complementary. Bibendum as the specialist premium wine supplier and Matthew Clark as the biggest composite wholesaler.”
It’s Avenell role to make sure the centralised and separate functions for its specialised businesses are working as effectively as possible.
He is supported centrally by C&C’s senior wine buyer, Simon Jerome, one of two senior buyers in the team reporting in to Avenell who, like Avenell, has been and seen it all during his vast experience at Matthew Clark. Alongside them is Lizzy Unite, senior wine buyer, a former wine buyer at Marks & Spencer. Together they head up a central team of four buyers and a junior buyer who are responsible for all the ranging of Bibendum, Matthew Clark, Walker & Wodehouse (for independent merchants) and Bibendum off-trade.
Rebecca Long who looks after buying for South Africa and Portugal amongst others
Richard Masterson looks after Spain, North America, Walker & Wodehouse
These include Andy Craig (responsible for Bordeaux, South West France, Champagne, UK and fine wine), Christine Barkey (regional France), Rebecca Long (South Africa, Portugal, Central & Eastern Europe), Richard Masterson (Spain, North America, Walker & Wodehouse) and junior buyer, Clio Giudici (Australia, New Zealand, sake, Southern Italy, low and no, and alternative packaging).
Clio Giudici is part of the buying team as junior buyer
“Rebecca Long and Clio Giudici have both moved into the buying team from trade marketing roles bringing fresh energy and perspectives to the team, and the sales team have been strengthened with the experience of Rob Sandall who has come into head up the total regional IFT business, and Yann Bourigault who now heads up the new business development team for Bibendum in London,” explains Avenell.
Rob Sandall who heads up the regional IFT business
Yann Bourigault heads up the new business development team for Bibendum in London
The buying team is all in place now,” he says. “They also bring new ways of working and ideas to the company as well.”
He is also keen to bring in an another experienced brand manager that can work closely with those producers that really want to build their own brands and find new ways of doing that in the market.
“We already have one brand management role (new role in the last year) but are looking to bring in a second one to strengthen our trade marketing team further and give the team more time for all of the producers they look after,” he says.
“The strength of the business is we operate in every channel of the market and can also offer that to all our suppliers as well. It is our job to have the right product mix for every channel. That’s what makes the job so exciting. We are dealing with every part of the market.”
Both its multiple off-trade, particularly branded wines around £10, and premium retail sales through Walker & Wodehouse are showing good growth, which is very important for its main producer partners, he says.
Irish and Scottish potential
This, he claims, can be seen best in how C&C is working so well in Scotland and Ireland. C&C’s existing extensive distribution in both countries for its own drinks brands have opened the doors wide open for Bibendum and Matthew Clark. Tennents, for example, through the network of regional wholesalers, provides access toa huge percentage of the Scottish on-trade. Bulmers distribution offers similar exposure across Ireland.
C&C's strength in Scotland through Tennents and Ireland with Bulmers opens up major new distribution and routes to market for its division and all its producer partners
“They are both such exciting markets to be in,” says Avenell, supported by “great local teams” who are working with the centralised operation to make sure they have the right ranges and products to sell and give them “more doors to knock on”.
“The opportunity in Scotland, for example, is huge. It is the fastest growing part of our business and we have only really scratched the surface,” he adds pointing to a new exclusive distribution deal it has signed with Moët Hennessy to supply its premium products into Scotland.
He likens the growth in Scotland and Ireland to what we have seen in the major northern cities in the last 10 years with the amount of premium bars and dinking across Liverpool, Manchester, Leeds and Newcastle. “It is similar in Scotland with Edinburgh, Glasgow and all the tourism in the country hotels and fine dining.”
Not plain sailing
But Avenell is also pragmatic enough to realise he can’t talk about all of C&C’s potential and future success without putting it into context with what has come before. Particularly the fall out from the computer systems breach that hit the business so badly coming out of Covid. “Recent OTIF (on time in full) delivery numbers are tracking at over 96% demonstrating that distribution can now be a strength for the business,” says Avenell.
It meant the business had to focus on “getting back to basics” and not doing all the things that help you develop and grow, he admits.
It also resulted in it losing some key producers along the way. A situation Avenell is happy to face up to: “We lost some suppliers we did not want to lose, but we also went in another direction with other producers.”
A move in keeping with what is an overall declining and challenging category and a smaller overall on-trade market to go after. “The market is constantly changing and it was clear we had a bigger supplier base than we needed and not everyone was going to be winning.”
He adds: “It’s fair to say it has been a rollercoaster ride that the [Bibendum] business has been on with lots of positives and negatives. But you always learn more through failure and things that go wrong than you do from success. All that is behind us now and we are a business that is a lot stronger as a result. We are now positioned in the right place for the current market.”
Jamie Avenell admits it has been a bit of a "rollercoaster" ride coming out of Covid with a churn of producers leaving and coming into the group
It is also important for the business moving forward that it is working with producers “that are 100% committed to us” on a full partnership basis. “If a supplier leaves it opens up the door and opportunities for someone else,” he says.
“We want to attract producers that want to do things differently. It’s not just a matter of taking someone from somebody else. We want to work with producers who want to challenge the status quo. They are the producers we want to work with.”
Equally he realises Bibendum and Matthew Clark need to “spend more time” with its producers and “properly look at what we can do for them”. Both as buyers and its respective sales teams.“We know how much producers really value that. We are, after all, their ears and eyes in the UK market. There is a real responsibility that comes with that.”
Right time
Which makes Avenell’s clear headed and calm approach to his new role even more important.
“I don’t need time to understand the business, to understand how it works. If I was new to the business I would have had to learn all that. I have been working with our producers and supply base all this time.”
He adds: “It was the right time for me to take the role. I have a clear vision of where we are and where we want to go and the time to do that responsibly.”
He also recognises the importance of delivering an effective, profitable wine strategy for the C&C Group: “It needs a strong wine division and strong leadership to make sure it works to its fullest potential.”
Its separate wine businesses equally need a strong C&C Group to give them the help, support and direction they need. Which is why Barry Sheehan’s promotion to chief commercial officer from his previous role as managing director of Ireland, has been so welcomed, says Avenell.
“There has been a real step change in terms of doing things at a faster pace since Barry has comeinto his role. The overall company moves much quicker, which is key to a business of this size.”
He is also, stresses Avenell, not there as a successor to Michael Saunders who formally left the business in December 2023.
“It is now more a case of different people in the business stepping up and leading the business together,” he explains, particularly senior figures who have years of experience within the group.
It has also been a good opportunity to bring new talent into the business and to strengthen its buying and sales teams.
Management style
Jamie Avenell says it is key with a team working in different locations that they have the structures in place to ensure excellent communication between them
Avenell’s new role also means putting in place a structure that allows his team to work together when needed to, but also has the scope to allow for flexible working in and out of the office and across multiple sites and countries, across London, Bristol, Glasgow and Dublin.
“For my role it is the most important thing to get right. To be able to give the team the right level of support they need and to communicate with them in the right way so that everyone knows what is expected of them. Which is so important in what is a complex business. That communication is everything. It all comes down to the clarity and simplicity of the message.”
In terms of his own management style he says he “has been able to pick up different things from different people” through his career, but picks out the influence and impact that Harry Georgiou had him when he worked with Amathus early on in his career.
“I learnt two important things from him. Passion for the product and work ethic. When you genuinely love what you do and are so passionate about it is not just a nine to five job.”
He also said how much he learned from Andrew Shaw during his time with the business and, in particular, how he was able to “involve his team in the decision-making process and in doing so build consensus and unity around the direction and strategy for the team which createdan infectious team spirit”.
Avenell says he has also had to learn quite quickly the importance in delegating and not taking on too many responsibilities for himself.
“It is more my role to give support and direction to the team so that we are pulling together to succeed. It is all about the team.”
Challenges and opportunities
Putting on events and tastings for its customers that best work for them is key for each of C&C's different business channels
It is vital a business of C&C’s size keeps on top of both the challenging trading conditions the drinks industry as a whole is having to work in, whilst looking to take advantage of the opportunities that come up.
“We are looking six, 12 to 18 months ahead and making decisions around that. Clearly the duty easement situation is going to add a huge level of complexity and cost to the supply chain and it is going to require every producer telling us every time they change the abv on their wine. We have a whole team looking at it and have got a solution to deal with it.”
He understands the pressure and focus on introducing lower alcohol strength wines, below 11.5% abv, into the market to take advantage of lower duty rates, but stresses any decision like that has to be taken on what is “right” for that particular style of wine and has to be done “from a quality point of view”.
“There is an opportunity for some producers we work with take advantage of that. But we will have both options available for our customers.”
The increased duty levels, though, are “pushing more wines above £10” and means there is less choice for consumers below £10 “which does not help us,” particularly when it comes to losing more sales out of wine to spirits.
What’s next
From a buying perspective then English wines are now right, front and centre, particularly as the market is opening up beyond traditional sparkling and offering good quality and value in areas such as Charmat and still wine.
Jamie Avenell says C&C has high hopes for English wine and is working closely with MDCVUK and Fitz to help expand and push the Charmat category
It is working closely with MDCVUK and Fitz to really push Charmat wines which he believes can open up a new category for consumers not currently buying English sparkling wine and challenge more the Prosecco and Cava market.
There is also still growth, he said, to be had across the sparkling category with a bigger focus on premium Cava and Italian sparkling outside Prosecco and then in South Africa with Cap Classique where it is well placed with Graham Beck.
The demand for lighter red wine styles and cooler climate red wines will only continue which opens up new opportunities for regions like Alto Adige.
“But it is also important we have the classic styles and wines as well in our range,” he adds pointing to the success it is having with Rioja and Spanish wines, a revitalised Burgundy range led by IWC 2024 award winners of red and white winemakers of the year in Edouard Delauney and La Chablisienne respectively and areas of the US like with Chateau St Michelle in Washington.
“It is about having that diversity of producers from right around the world.”
New beginnings
The next step for Avenell and his team to is to get out into the trade and talk to customers about the changes it has made that will help its producers and customers make the most of working with C&C and its various routes to market. Be it through trade tastings, or one on one meetings, Avenell says it is a key time for the business to get back in front of customers - be they existing, lapsed or potential new ones.
“We need to spend more time with them and back that up with a full service provision and logistics solution. We are confident we now have the right range for them to sell.”
A selection that will only get better as the business gets back to doing what it was renown for - innovating and bringing new wines to the market.
“Bibendum should be all about leading the market and creating new trends whilst Matthew Clark is there to service its customers with what they want and need now. We have not been able to dothat over the last two years. We are excited to get back to doing what we used to be pioneers at.”
But that also, he concludes, very much sums up the wine industry and the need to be constantly changing and adapting.
“One of the beauties of the industry we are in is that we are all always learning and developing. I have been here for 14 years, and the name of the business might be the same, but it is totally different to the business that I joined. The future will be equally exciting and continue to evolve.”
* The C&C Group is a commercial partner to The Buyer. You can read about its services to the trade here.
