Lucy Warner who has been managing the Thierry’s South African portfolio for the past 12 years, has resigned from the company and will not be joining Watermill Wines. She continues to live in South Africa and will manage the UK exports for some of the country’s finest producers. Bosman Family Vineyards in Wellington, Excelsior of Robertson and Sauvignon.com in Durbanville have also left Thierry’s and appointed Lucy as their Export Manager for the UK. Lucy has 28 years’ experience in the BWS industry. 14 years in the UK working for Oddbins, Victoria Wine and Thresher and 14 years based in South Africa. She has an extensive knowledge and network in not only the UK, but also many other global markets. “I have had an amazing time with Thierry’s and have many happy memories and friends from the business. But the wine world is changing and the way customers buy wines is also changing. So to be able to provide a direct solution for many retailers and producers is the way to go. I will also be looking at alternative solutions for customers who are not in a position to deal directly yet” she said and added “Yes, the UK is a challenging market, but I love it and there is still masses of potential and loads of great people in both the UK and SA wine industry and I just want to bring them closer together!” Petrus Bosman commented “Lucy has been an anchor of strength in a tough time in UK market. We share the same strong values on ethical wine trade and look forward to building on these foundations in the future.” Peter de Wet from Excelsior added ““Excelsior is really looking forward to working with Lucy and building the brand and our presence in this exciting market” Thys Louw from Sauvignon.com also said ‘we have worked with Lucy for a couple of years now and really love her enthusiasm for the business in general and for Sauvignon.com in particular and I know she’ll help us make this brand the success it deserves to be! Lucy Warner can be contacted on lucyw@mweb.co.za