Flint Wines strengthens its purchasing and merchandising teams

Flint Wines, the UK fine wine importer, has strengthened its purchasing team with the addition of two purchasing directors, both from Lay & Wheeler, as it eyes ambitious growth plans.

It has added Beth Pearce MW as Head of Procurement, along with Robbie Toothill as Head of Commercial.

Pearce will assume purchasing responsibilities for all regions except Burgundy – which will continue to be overseen by founder and director Jason Hynes, working closely with Will Hislop and Héloïse Castel as a four-person buying team.

She joins the team from Lay & Wheeler, where she was responsible for growing the business portfolio, initially as a buyer, and more recently as purchasing manager. Before that, she spent nearly ten years at Majestic Wine, where she rose from trainee manager to the buying team, and spent a short time with Sydney-based retailer Vintage Blue Wines. She completed her Master of Wine in 2020 and was also awarded the Outstanding Young Person Award at the inaugural Vintners Awards in 2021.

She is joined as head of commercial by Robbie Tuthill, who joins Flint Wines after nearly a decade at Lay & Wheeler. During his time there, he worked in various roles, including marketing, purchasing and most recently sales and promotions as commercial director. . During this period, the entire private client business grew from £9.7 million in turnover in the financial year ending 2016 to £27 million in the year ending 2023.

Both Pearce and Tuthill previously worked with Flint Wine managing director Katie Keating at Lay & Wheeler, who joined Flint Wines in June 2023. In April, the company also signed Harry Roskelly (MMD) Maisons Marques et Domaines as CFO as it announced a plan Ambitious five-year growth.

In 2020, UK fine wine importer Domaine Direct acquired Burgundy specialist Domaine Direct.