Coterie Holdings-owned fine-wine importer The Wine Experience is set to acquire the Japan-based wholesale division of Berry Bros & Rudd.
The deal, the financial details of which were not disclosed, includes Berry Bros’ “wholesale activities in Japan” as well as “the majority of the producers currently represented” in the market by the company. Berry Bros’ private client division, formed in 2008, is not included in the transaction.
Berry Bros’s website lists its Japan office at an address in Tokyo (below). The Wine Experience was founded in 2021 and is also based in the capital. The business operates across import, “trade education” and retail.
“Japan remains an important market for Berry Bros & Rudd, and we are committed to building on our longstanding presence there,” said company chair Lizzy Rudd. “This planned sale will allow us to focus more closely on our private client service in Japan and across Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan.
“We are working closely with Coterie Holdings to ensure a smooth transition.”
The deal follows Coterie’s first move into Asia last year, when it acquired Hong Kong-based wine importer & distributor Links Concept Family Wine Merchants. Coterie also owns bonded storage facility Coterie Vaults, merchant Lay and Wheeler, lending business Jera and importer-distributor Hallgarten & Novum Wines.
