A practical view of the market

Hiring demand in the wine sector is not uniform. Some areas remain relatively quiet; others continue to create persistent pressure because the talent required is highly specific, experienced people are settled and commercial expectations are high.

This report focuses on four areas that have stood out in Vinokelly’s search work and market conversations during 2026 so far: grocery sales, regional sales, fine wine sales and London on-trade sales.

It is not intended as a statistical survey of the whole market. It is a practical view of where hiring demand, candidate supply and succession pressures are most visible – and what may sit underneath them.

At a glance

1. Grocery sales: demand without enough movement

There is consistently strong demand for people who can sell into the major grocery customers, but the briefs are usually highly specific. Employers are not simply looking for somebody with grocery experience; they may effectively be looking for somebody who can help get a particular brand or portfolio into a particular supermarket.

The market remains skewed towards experienced candidates, with too few junior people coming through behind them. A couple of years ago there was a noticeable push to bring more junior people into grocery teams. Some of those people have subsequently leaked out of the sector or moved elsewhere.

One reason appears to be that the senior layer remains unusually stable. Experienced people with established customer relationships are often settled in their roles and have little reason to move. That creates a difficult dynamic: businesses want more junior talent, but if the people above them are not moving, the path upwards can become limited.

2. Regional sales: retirement is becoming the movement event

Regional wine sales have historically been a very stable employment market. People often stay in these roles for a long time. They build deep relationships within a territory, become well known across local hospitality and events, and the roles can offer an attractive crossover between commercial work and lifestyle.

When movement does happen, it is often because something significant changes in somebody’s life rather than because they are simply looking for their next promotion. Increasingly, that life change is retirement.

A significant proportion of experienced regional salespeople are now approaching retirement, and this appears particularly pronounced in a market that has historically been heavily male. That is creating some nervousness among employers. They can see the succession requirement coming, but replacing these people is not straightforward.

Territories are often already large, so there may be limited scope to create efficiencies simply by making them larger. Salaries have risen, although they often still lag other sales roles. And perhaps most importantly, an incumbent may have spent many years building customer relationships that cannot simply be transferred with the job title.

3. Fine wine sales: movement returns, but expectations have changed

There has been some renewed movement in fine wine sales after a relatively quiet couple of years. Hiring remains discerning. Relationships and credibility still matter enormously, but the operating environment around those relationships has changed considerably.

Many fine wine businesses have modernised their infrastructure: faster back-office systems, stronger websites, ordering apps and easier access to portfolio and pricing information. That changes what is required from the salesperson.

Candidates who built their careers primarily around traditional relationship selling increasingly need to demonstrate a broader approach to business development, customer proximity and social media. The relationship remains central, but the way that relationship is maintained and developed is evolving.

4. London on-trade: hiring remains selective and the runway has shortened

There are still pockets of hiring in London on-trade sales, but there appears to be less pressure than last year. Salaries have remained relatively high, but with that has come much stronger pressure to deliver.

The most noticeable shift may be the shortening of the runway. Businesses are increasingly reluctant to wait a long time for somebody to establish themselves, build relationships and begin producing results.

There is greater expectation that experienced hires arrive with relevant relationships, market understanding and an ability to generate momentum quickly.

What sits underneath these hiring trends?

Relationship capital is becoming a hiring constraint

Grocery contacts, regional customer relationships, fine-wine networks and London on-trade connections all take years to build. Employers increasingly want access to those relationships immediately.

The experienced layer is unusually static

In grocery, stability can restrict progression underneath. In regional sales, the same long tenure is now producing a retirement challenge. Stability has advantages, but it can also create bottlenecks.

Succession is becoming more important

This is most visible in regional sales, but the junior pipeline issue in grocery is another version of the same problem: what happens when the next layer has not had enough room to progress?

Time-to-impact is shortening

Employers appear less willing to hire somebody who will require a long runway before delivering. That pressure is particularly visible in London, but it also runs through the specificity of many grocery briefs.

A more specific hiring challenge

The wine hiring market in 2026 is not uniformly difficult. But in the areas where hiring demand remains strongest, the challenge is becoming increasingly specific.

Businesses are often looking for experience, relationships and immediate commercial impact in markets where experienced people are relatively settled and where the next generation has not always had enough room to progress.

About Vinokelly

Vinokelly is a specialist executive search and recruitment business focused on the drinks industry. We work on senior, specialist and business-critical appointments, combining market knowledge with structured search and candidate engagement.