Berry Bros. & Rudd

The Challenge

Berry Bros. & Rudd, the world’s oldest wine and spirits merchant, sought to elevate its Events & Experiences division as a significant contributor to the business. The challenge was twofold: to preserve the brand’s heritage and exclusivity while developing a commercially driven, client-focused events operation that could compete in the London luxury market.

Our Approach

As Director of Events & Experiences, Mark Scholfield led a transformation of the division, combining brand authenticity with commercial focus. Key initiatives included:

• Clarity & Direction – repositioning the events business to highlight Berry Bros. & Rudd’s unique heritage and private cellars as a world-class venue offering.
• Market Reach & Influence – building stronger relationships with corporate clients, private event organisers and luxury partners to drive new business.
• Systems & Structure – implementing operational processes to improve efficiency, consistency and client experience across all event formats.
• Revenue & Performance – introducing yield management, upselling strategies and tighter financial controls to improve profitability.
• People & Culture – instilling a service-led, customer-focused mindset within the team while providing coaching and leadership to support professional growth.

The Results

Mark’s leadership at Berry Bros. & Rudd transformed the Events & Experiences division, delivering significant revenue growth with stronger margins through smarter pricing and upselling, elevating client satisfaction and repeat business to position the cellars as one of London’s most exclusive private event destinations, while embedding a resilient team and operational framework for consistent delivery and integrating events more deeply into the brand strategy to enhance loyalty and generate additional wine sales.

Impact

The transformation of Events & Experiences created a sustainable, commercially viable business line that strengthened both the reputation and profitability of Berry Bros. & Rudd. Today, E+M+C applies these lessons to help heritage brands and venues align their historic value with modern commercial performance.