Awards and citations:


1997: Le Prix du Champagne Lanson Noble Cuvée Award for investigations into Champagne for the Millennium investment scams

2001: Le Prix Champagne Lanson Ivory Award for investdrinks.org

2011: Vindic d'Or MMXI – 'Meilleur blog anti-1855'

2011: Robert M. Parker, Jnr: ‘This blogger...’:

2012: Born Digital Wine Awards: No Pay No Jay – best investigative wine story

2012: International Wine Challenge – Personality of the Year Award




Tuesday 24 May 2011

Oddbins: tale of two shops + Deloitte's report

Oddbins: Farringdon Fine Wine shop

Quick trip today up to the Holborn Viaduct area of London to look at two contrasting Oddbins shops. Firstly Farringdon, the shop under the Holborn Viaduct, which was the original fine wine branch. This is one of the five acquired recently by Simon Baile's ExCellar chain. There were signs of activity inside presumably in preparation for reopening.

Other shots of Farringdon store (above and below)


The old Chancery Lane branch is just a short distance away – closed and for the moment it has no new owner. It would seem that the Chancery Lane staff and Oddbins' senior management did not part on the best of terms.


Staff choice – sin bin: Simon Baile and Henry Young




'When it's gone, it's gone!'
Bins Ends in Lambs Conduit Street recommended

A report (20th May 2011) from the administrators at Deloitte can be downloaded from their site here.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Have I read the Deloitte report correctly? For their work they've billed a smidgen under £1,000,000?

If ever one needed proof that working for a pittance for Oddbins was preferable to being in any other line of business here it is: they failed to pay people for all the work provided, while charging this much themselves.

Another line in a very sorry, repulsive tale.

Anonymous said...

I don't think there was a branch that ever saw eye to eye with Simon Fail, and to a lesser extent Henry Young. Both mistook the staff's allegiance and loyalty for stupidity and naivety. As such something to be exploited and abused. I'm not sure Deloitte's view differed in any way.