Naked Wines was forced to suspend the taking of new online orders in the wake of record demand. Other direct to consumer operators including The Wine Society and Yapp Bros have also seen demand rise significantly as an increasing number of consumers choose to ensure that they will have supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, Majestic Wine had said that its customers have been stocking up on European wines and are keeping its fleet of delivery vans working around the clock. Its site had crashed one weekend following unprecedented demand but the business quickly advised customers that it had large volumes of stock and had also brought forward availability of its summer inventory so as to ensure continuity of supply. Berry & Rudd has also seen online sales surge as customers order the wines they would ordinarily drink in bars and restaurants for home consumption. Supermarkets have also reported a sharp rise in sales of beers, ciders, wines and spirits as more consumers are driven to drink at home. Enterprising pubs have also turned to off-sales and, together with restaurants, are remaining in business by supplying home-delivered takeaway meals via apps including JustEat and social media. Many however fear that the habit of going out to pubs and restaurants may be difficult to revive after the lockdown and that despite government grants there are likely to be a number of permanent closures.
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