Victoria Wine hires director of marketing

The Victoria Wine Company is appointing Richard Lowe as its new buying and marketing director.

Lowe, marketing director with Victoria Wines’ sister company Allied Domecq Inns, replaces Graham Maguire who is leaving to take up the position of group retail director at T&S Stores.

Lowe will report to managing director Michael Hammond.

Maguire, who took up the post last February following the company’s last major restructure, was the chain’s first marketing director.

His brief was to develop the growth of the chain following its 1993 takeover of the Augustus Barnett chain.

At the time of Maguire’s appointment, the 1,500-strong off-licence chain emphasised that it was going to invest more money in marketing, but 1995 Register-MEAL figures suggest it has spent little during the past 12 months.