With the news that Oddbins has gone bankrupt, again, I thought it was the perfect time to write an appreciation of this peculiar institution that gave me my first proper job.
I was writing for Oddbins at the time of the Castel takeover, and it was bizarre. The wines brought in were so awful, and so overpriced for what they were. No one wanted to buy them, and if anyone did, that was someone who wasn't coming back. It felt like we were the cover for a money laundering operation.
Series of mistakes, and then the supermarkets being allowed to sell booze as a loss leader killed Oddbins along with the rest of the off licence chains. Who knows - they might have stood a chance if they hadn't had so many years of poor management.
Lovely place to work, though. And by Christ did they take staff development seriously. I've never worked anywhere where so many of the staff loved their jobs.
I went to the (only?) press tasting that Oddbins held after the Castel takeover in ? 2011, above the White Horse on Parson’s Green. It was shockingly bad - sticks out in my mind as the worst press tasting I’ve ever been to: I’ve probably tasted worse ranges (Morrison’s?) but the shock of seeing what they’d brought in compred to what went before was awful. Wine critics were floating around muttering “bloody hell” to each other. Struck me as an exercise in stupid French chauvinism: bringing in crap wines from well-known appellations and over-charging for them. As epitomised by their “under-our-controlée” ad campaign: possibly the worst wine ad I’ve ever seen, being incomprehensible to most English drinkers.
"bringing in crap wines from well-known appellations and over-charging for them." sounds like the Nicolas formula - I never understood how those shops stayed in business.
Lovely words Henry...I was out with Tariq Goddard last night and he mentioned this piece...I worked with David A at the Oddbins in Parsons Green in the early 1990's - we lived on a diet of Alex Reece's So Far, Metalheadz, LTJ Buken and hit budget every week...he was and still is a lovely man...
Hello Chris It's a small world. I almost went off on a tangent about music in Oddbins shops. Every shop seemed to have its own sound. Larry Levan at the Paradise Garage takes me straight back to working evenings at Westbourne Grove. H
My brother worked for them briefly - apparently his manager would put the odd interesting bottle through the system as 'spoiled' and then share it around as a staff perk.
Brilliant piece. I worked in smaller and even less well run chain Wine Cellar for a glorious 18 months (Chiswick branch). Manager Keith was one of the nicest men alive although constantly over sharing about his sex life. Sadly I left just a few weeks before the chain collapsed and staff helped themselves to remaining stock. I still knew many of them and that was a banner day... but a sad one. RIP OddBins
I remember Wine Cellar - actually some really good wines. There was one round the corner from Oddbins in Headingley. We thought ourselves a cut above though.
Interesting! In particular, this gives me a bit more background about you mentioning you worked for Oddbins in the past, and I never knew what kind of shop Oddbins actually was.
Sometimes I think I might love working in the wine trade myself, but then I also think that could easily lead to me drinking more wine than is healthy, and then the thought is gone again. But I do know two wine shops where I might find it interesting to work — one that has only off-mainstream Italian wines, one that focuses on Burgundy, both run by passionate and charismatic proprietors.
Very tangentially, Oddbins introduced me to better wine - I ran a bar in Edinburgh near an Oddbins and the staff would come in for a refreshing beverage after they closed and in return they would guide me to much better wines that I would not have considered. Yet again, mourning the loss, but as you say, a shadow of what they were in late 80s/90s
If you loved the Oddbins of its heydays in the 70s & 80s and live in the Bournemouth area then you must try Jolly Vintner Too … the owner Jim Dawson carries on all the very best of those traditions!
I was writing for Oddbins at the time of the Castel takeover, and it was bizarre. The wines brought in were so awful, and so overpriced for what they were. No one wanted to buy them, and if anyone did, that was someone who wasn't coming back. It felt like we were the cover for a money laundering operation.
Series of mistakes, and then the supermarkets being allowed to sell booze as a loss leader killed Oddbins along with the rest of the off licence chains. Who knows - they might have stood a chance if they hadn't had so many years of poor management.
Lovely place to work, though. And by Christ did they take staff development seriously. I've never worked anywhere where so many of the staff loved their jobs.
I went to the (only?) press tasting that Oddbins held after the Castel takeover in ? 2011, above the White Horse on Parson’s Green. It was shockingly bad - sticks out in my mind as the worst press tasting I’ve ever been to: I’ve probably tasted worse ranges (Morrison’s?) but the shock of seeing what they’d brought in compred to what went before was awful. Wine critics were floating around muttering “bloody hell” to each other. Struck me as an exercise in stupid French chauvinism: bringing in crap wines from well-known appellations and over-charging for them. As epitomised by their “under-our-controlée” ad campaign: possibly the worst wine ad I’ve ever seen, being incomprehensible to most English drinkers.
"bringing in crap wines from well-known appellations and over-charging for them." sounds like the Nicolas formula - I never understood how those shops stayed in business.
This is fascinating having this from an insider. I remember the change.
*working for Oddbins!
Lovely words Henry...I was out with Tariq Goddard last night and he mentioned this piece...I worked with David A at the Oddbins in Parsons Green in the early 1990's - we lived on a diet of Alex Reece's So Far, Metalheadz, LTJ Buken and hit budget every week...he was and still is a lovely man...
Hello Chris It's a small world. I almost went off on a tangent about music in Oddbins shops. Every shop seemed to have its own sound. Larry Levan at the Paradise Garage takes me straight back to working evenings at Westbourne Grove. H
One mild life regret I have is that I never bought the bottle labelled 'Vino di Tavola!' in the Norwich Oddbins (mid-90s).
I remember drinking some Lamaoine (another Super Tuscan) in the back of the Westbourne Grove branch one evening.
My brother worked for them briefly - apparently his manager would put the odd interesting bottle through the system as 'spoiled' and then share it around as a staff perk.
Brilliant piece. I worked in smaller and even less well run chain Wine Cellar for a glorious 18 months (Chiswick branch). Manager Keith was one of the nicest men alive although constantly over sharing about his sex life. Sadly I left just a few weeks before the chain collapsed and staff helped themselves to remaining stock. I still knew many of them and that was a banner day... but a sad one. RIP OddBins
I remember Wine Cellar - actually some really good wines. There was one round the corner from Oddbins in Headingley. We thought ourselves a cut above though.
Interesting! In particular, this gives me a bit more background about you mentioning you worked for Oddbins in the past, and I never knew what kind of shop Oddbins actually was.
Sometimes I think I might love working in the wine trade myself, but then I also think that could easily lead to me drinking more wine than is healthy, and then the thought is gone again. But I do know two wine shops where I might find it interesting to work — one that has only off-mainstream Italian wines, one that focuses on Burgundy, both run by passionate and charismatic proprietors.
There were a lot of heavy drinking, slightly embittered young middle aged men at Oddbins.
Nice piece!
Thanks Andy - I could have written a short book.
I would love to read that.
Very tangentially, Oddbins introduced me to better wine - I ran a bar in Edinburgh near an Oddbins and the staff would come in for a refreshing beverage after they closed and in return they would guide me to much better wines that I would not have considered. Yet again, mourning the loss, but as you say, a shadow of what they were in late 80s/90s
The Edinburgh Oddbins shops were particularly good, I seem to remember.
If you loved the Oddbins of its heydays in the 70s & 80s and live in the Bournemouth area then you must try Jolly Vintner Too … the owner Jim Dawson carries on all the very best of those traditions!