Comments on: Is all OK at Oddbins?

By: former winemerchant

former winemerchant — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:52:04 +0000

see article in Guardian 31 Mar 2011 - Oddbins is now reported to have gone into liquidation!

By: holden caulfield

holden caulfield — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:27:16 +0000

All is certainly not ok at Oddbins. I am a current employee and to say that moral amongst the staff is at low would be a gross understatement. We are currently running on a skeletal staff system which does not provide cover in the event of staff illness or holidays, resulting in staff being forced by the company to come in and work above and beyond their contracted hours for no extra pay.
The glorious new range we were promised only ever half materialised and now is beginning to disappear off the shelves. Time and time again we are having to tell customers to check back next week for very basic product lines. The prices inch up every few months and people are moreover walking out because they feel the prices are too high. Add to this the threats of constant threats of dismissal for not hitting targets and it adds up to a disaffected and frankly pissed off workforce.

By: Don

Don — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:48:26 +0000

Last night I popped into an Oddbins for 1st time since end January and was pretty shocked by the stock situation.

I went to the largest store in Glasgow to stock up with a few mixed cases of interesting bottles, but frankly I was was pushed to fill a six pack.

My first thought was that the store was closing down, but when I asked the assiatant about the lack of stock he explained the unfortunate situation as outlined in Andrew’s post above.

Assistant reassured me that brand new range is due “imminently” and said that the overall range will be reduced to 300 core lines plus bin-ends.

As an ex-Oddbins manager myself, I wish them all the best and agree that customers won’t be sorry to see some of the Castel dross disappear (how many watery French roses does a company really need to stock?).

However 300 core lines plus XX bin-ends does sound a bit small to me… Think Majestic run with an average of 700 or so lines?

In any case I look forward to trying the new range when it comes in. If it’s as well chosen as the staff suggest then I suppose size isn’t everything!

By: Mike Brown

Mike Brown — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 23:08:18 +0000

I Also Work For Oddbins, And Yes While We Are Low On Stock, We Are Now In A Position Where I Can Count The Last Of The Dreadful Castel Wines On One Hand… Surely A Position ALL Oddbins Shops Would Love To Be In, Not To Mention The Wine Buying Public!
There Are Still Hidden Gems In The Stripped Out Ranges, Just Ask The Staff!
I Also Agree With The Comment Roddy Made About The New Ranges Quality, It Is Outstanding, Boutique And Very Niche!
Its All A Matter Of: Watch This Space….

By: Becky Smith

Becky Smith — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 18:34:50 +0000

I agree with Roddy and with the information about the fact that their shipping company has collapsed. Surely this must have caused a massive headache. According to the Telegraph the shipping company’s collapse has sped up Oddbin’s process of the clearing out of old line. I think a lot of people in the industry know that this is something they need to do. I certainly am willing them on

By: former winemerchant

former winemerchant — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 08:23:44 +0000

According to the Daily Telegraph (2 March 2009), the problems may be to do with the collapse of Oddbin’s shipping company:

“Oddbins, the high street off-licence chain, is facing a shortage of wine after French customs officials impounded stock following the collapse of its shipping company.
Many of the company’s 132 shops were left short of stock after Anglo Overseas, one of the world’s major wine shippers, fell into administration in January. “

By: Paul Johnston

Paul Johnston — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 12:44:15 +0000

I remember working in Oddbins just when Nick Baille was having to deal with his own credit crunch. It is nothing now, to what happened then.

But it is an opportunity for suppliers/ importers to build good relationships with the company should it be struggling temporarily just now.

Oddbins is a solid brand after so many years and if its company culture has not completely died under the weight of Castel on top of it, then it is likely to build on the strength.

There are a lot of people in the trade that are quietly willing them on.

By: Ben Smith

Ben Smith — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 10:10:23 +0000

Agree with you Rob. As an ex-Oddbins marketing person, I wonder how many people they have ‘doing’ the marketing. It was this that made Oddbins stand out, and they are really going to need it going forward to prove to the outside world what they are now about.

By: Roddy Graham

Roddy Graham — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 13:01:50 +0000

I work for Oddbins, so obviously I’m not entirely objective.

I don’t see us “haemorrhaging accounts”. Wholesale business comes and goes: I think your contact starting at shadows.

Yes the shelves are rather bare just now, but I’d rather be understocked in January/February anyway, since it’s the slow side of the year anyway. The new wines we had before Christmas all sold through very quickly, because they are so very good. As the new range comes into place I suspect that more and more commentators will be congratulating Oddbins on its canny revamp strategy.

By: Robert McIntosh

Robert McIntosh — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 18:40:45 +0000

not surprised about out of stocks – they are in the middle of massive cutback in the range I think, but it certainly looks bad. They have not done a particularly good job of saying what they ARE about, not who they once were.