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Ridgeview Steps Up UK Growth With New Commercial Leadership


Ridgeview Wine Estate has appointed Dan Simmons as Sales Director as the Sussex producer accelerates growth across retail and hospitality, and at its home in the South Downs, where visitor numbers rose 23 per cent year-on-year over the summer.


One of the pioneers of English sparkling wine, Ridgeview is building on more than three decades of winemaking with a sharper commercial focus, a growing market presence and sustained investment in the experience at the estate.


Matt Gayler, Chief Operating Officer at Ridgeview, said:

“We are building quickly, which is testament to the team. Ridgeview has thirty years behind it, exceptional wines and world-class facilities here in Sussex, and our commitment to quality keeps the wines at the forefront of everything we do."

"Our job now is to put those wines in front of a great many more people, in the bars and restaurants where they are already earning their place, and here at the estate where they are made. That is where all the energy is going. There is a lot happening across the business, from growing UK distribution to real investment in the experience here in Sussex. We are proud of where we are today and we are incredibly excited for the future.”


Strengthening the commercial team

Dan Simmons joined Ridgeview as Sales Director on 24 August, bringing extensive drinks industry experience from global spirits companies Bacardi and Brown-Forman and most recently, luxury tea brand JING Tea.


His appointment comes as Ridgeview expands its presence across retail and hospitality and deepens its commercial partnerships, with a focus on making its wines more available to consumers while building long-term value for the brand.


Dan Simmons, UK Sales Director at Ridgeview, said:

“Having lived most of my life in Sussex, I’ve always been an advocate of Ridgeview and have watched the brand build an outstanding reputation for quality while playing such an important role in the story of English sparkling wine."

"The category has real momentum, and Ridgeview is exceptionally well placed to capitalise on this across every channel. I’m looking forward to bringing my experience of building premium brands and strong customer partnerships to support the next stage of Ridgeview’s growth.”


More than the bottle

Alongside distribution growth, Ridgeview is investing in the experience that surrounds its wines. At its home in the South Downs, the estate continues to develop its Cellar Door, Rows & Vine restaurant, tours, tastings and events programme, creating more reasons for visitors to experience Ridgeview in the place where its wines are made.


That investment is translating into measurable growth. Recorded visits across Ridgeview’s hospitality experiences rose 23 per cent year-on-year during the summer peak in July and August. Private tours and group experiences have grown particularly strongly, with attendance up 68 per cent between April and August compared with the same period in 2025, while visits to Rows & Vine, the estate’s restaurant, increased by 11 per cent.


The figures reflect a growing appetite to experience Ridgeview beyond the bottle, as the estate develops as a destination for English wine, food and hospitality. It is an ambition that runs alongside the winemaking itself: to build on a reputation for exceptional traditional-method English sparkling wine while creating a distinctive English brand centred on bringing people together.


Thirty years of winemaking

At the heart of that growth is the wine. Led by Head Winemaker Simon Roberts, named IWSC International Winemaker of the Year in 2018 and the first English producer to take the title, Ridgeview continues the approach to quality established by the Roberts family when the estate was founded in 1995.


Simon Roberts, Head Winemaker at Ridgeview, said:

“The wines we are making now are some of the best we have ever made, and I am as excited in our next harvest, our 31st, as I was in the first. 2026 will be another exceptional vintage for Southern England, and we look forward to continuing our tradition of producing the highest quality sparkling wine.”

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Furniture Village has been awarded a top 5 place in the ‘UK’s Best Large Companies to

Work For’ category.


Britain’s largest independent furniture retailer, Furniture Village, is proud to announce a total of three award wins at The Best Companies Awards 2023, including #4 in the ‘UK’s Best Large Companies to Work For.’ The ceremony was a black-tie event held in Battersea, London, on 2nd November 2023.


Furniture Village also won the ‘Best Companies Special Award’ as the ‘Best Improver 2023’ and #1 in the ‘South West’s Best Company to Work For’ category.


Last month, the family business received a 3-star accreditation in the Best Companies survey, a rating which reflects ‘world class’ levels of workplace engagement. When surveyed, 91% of Furniture Village employees agreed with the statement, ‘I love working for this organisation’ and 93% of those surveyed agreed with the statement ‘I am inspired by the people leading this organisation.’


Furniture Village first entered the Best Companies Survey in 2021, achieving a 1-star

accreditation, which recognised Furniture Village as a ‘very good’ place to work. The company has continued to strive to improve this which led to the retailer achieving a 2-star accreditation in 2022, which recognised it as an ‘outstanding’ place to work.


Committed to creating the best workplace for staff, Furniture Village continues to provide the best in-industry training and development programmes, as well as a family partnership profitsharing scheme. This resulted in the business achieving a 3-star ‘world class’ accreditation in 2023.


Charlie Harrison, Managing Director of Furniture Village says, “We are delighted that Furniture Village has won three awards at the Best Companies Awards 2023 and has achieved the 3-star ‘world-class’ Best Companies accreditation. We were especially pleased to be recognised as one of the UK’s best large companies to work for. A combination of our unique people culture and ethos is what makes us all proud to be a part of Furniture Village’s ‘World Class Family Business.'"


He added, “We cannot thank our staff members enough for their continued dedication to the business. We look forward to the future as we continue to learn, grow and achieve together.”


‘The Best Companies to Work For Lists’ have been measuring, improving and recognising great workplace engagement since 2001.


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