By James Atkinson
Tyrrell’s Wines is now distributed in Victoria by the Tahbilk-owned wine distribution business, The Wine Company, with the Hunter Valley winery having closed its Melbourne sales office.
Managing director Bruce Tyrrell told TheShout the Melbourne office closure had unfortunately resulted in the loss of six jobs, but he believes the move to agency distribution will provide superior coverage.
“Suddenly with The Wine Company we’ve got nine or ten sets of arms and legs on the road instead of four and a half,” he said.
“And it’s about further on-premise distribution, which is where we needed to be.”
But Tyrrell acknowledged that tough market conditions, including deteriorating consumer confidence and a savage retail environment, had played a part in the decision.
“It’s pretty tough out there at the moment,” he said.
Tyrrell said The Wine Company already distributes d’Arenberg along with Tahbilk, so the new agreement brings three members of Australia’s First Families of Wine under the same Victorian distribution.