CORK AND BOTTLE LTD
Cork and Bottle Ltd operates a single traditional wine bar in London's Leicester Square (founded 1971) alongside an online wine shop of 206+ wines with UK Mainland delivery, serving consumer wine enthusiasts, gift buyers, and event attendees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1971
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What CORK AND BOTTLE LTD does
Cork and Bottle Ltd (legal entity C&B LS Limited) is a privately-held, single-location wine hospitality and retail business based at 44-46 Cranbourn Street, Leicester Square, London. Founded in 1971 by Don Hewitson and now operated by Will Clayton, the company's core activity is a traditional wine bar selling wine by the glass and bottle alongside food pairings, complemented by an online wine shop (thecorkandbottle.co.uk/shop) stocking approximately 206 wines from global regions including France, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, the USA, Argentina, South Africa, Germany, Austria, Portugal, and Chile. Pricing ranges from approximately £17 (Calusari Pinot Grigio) to over £300 (Jim Barry Armagh), with most fine wines and Champagne in the £50–£165 band.
The company monetises through four streams: on-premise wine and food sales at the Leicester Square venue, e-commerce transactions with a flat £20 UK Mainland delivery fee, paid wine tasting events (e.g., the Castelnau Champagne Tasting Dinner at £85 per person), and gift vouchers in £25, £50, and £100 denominations (12-month validity). Underlying technology is standard third-party commerce tooling — payment processing is handled by Spire Pay under PCI-DSS-compliant 128-bit encryption with no stored card data, and the company operates no proprietary platform, mobile app, or API. There is no app, no disclosed partnerships, no institutional investment, and the business is run by a 9-person team.
Customer segments are entirely consumer-side — wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs, gift buyers (including corporate gifting), and direct-to-consumer online shoppers — with a horizontal segmentation approach. Marketing is conducted via the company website (including a 'Don's Articles' editorial section), an email newsletter, organic social channels (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest), and in-venue events. Distribution is single-channel physical at the venue plus UK-Mainland-only e-commerce, with no international shipping, no B2B contracts, and no franchise or wholesale operations disclosed.
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- CORK AND BOTTLE LTD
- Legal name
- C&B LS Limited
- Website
- https://thecorkandbottle.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1971
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Cork and Bottle Ltd operates a single traditional wine bar in London's Leicester Square (founded 1971) alongside an online wine shop of 206+ wines with UK Mainland delivery, serving consumer wine enthusiasts, gift buyers, and event attendees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wine Bar and Wine Retail
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Wine Bars (THAFAEAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants) (CRANABAB), Wine Tastings & Vineyard/Winery Tours (THAJAGAD)
Keywords
Where CORK AND BOTTLE LTD is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Wine Bar On-Premise Sales: Revenue from selling wine by the glass and bottle to customers at the Leicester Square venue, along with food pairings.
- Online Wine Shop: E-commerce sales of wines with home delivery to UK Mainland. Orders are processed online with credit/debit card payment and shipped via overnight carrier.
- Wine Tasting Events: Revenue from wine tasting dinners and events, such as the Castelnau Champagne Tasting Dinner at £85 per person including wine and food.
- Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers in £25, £50, and £100 denominations, valid for 12 months and redeemable at the Leicester Square venue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wine pricing ranges from budget-friendly options under £20 to premium wines exceeding £100 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Wine tasting dinner events |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Gift vouchers for wine bar and shop |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | UK Mainland delivery |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Cork & Bottle operates a traditional wine bar at 44-46 Cranbourn Street in London's Leicester Square, serving wine by the glass and bottle with food pairings, alongside an e-commerce wine shop stocking over 206 wines from global wine-producing regions with UK Mainland home delivery. The business also hosts wine tasting events such as the Castelnau Champagne Tasting Dinner and sells gift vouchers in £25, £50, and £100 denominations.
Product overview
Cork & Bottle operates as a wine-focused hospitality and retail business consisting of a traditional wine bar venue and an online wine shop e-commerce platform. The core offering includes the Leicester Square wine bar (established 1971) where customers can purchase wine by the glass or bottle, alongside a comprehensive online retail shop featuring approximately 206 wines from global wine-producing regions. Additional services include organized wine tasting events and gift vouchers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Wine Bar - Leicester Square Traditional wine bar in London's Leicester Square offering wine by the glass and bottle, food pairings, and a venue for hosted wine tasting events. Founded in 1971 and operating under extended hours Mon-Sun.
- Online Wine Shop E-commerce storefront stocking over 206 wines from regions including France, Italy, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, USA, Argentina, South Africa, Germany, Austria, Portugal, and Chile, with UK Mainland delivery at a flat £20 fee.
- Wine Tasting Events Hosted wine tasting dinners and curated tasting events at the wine bar venue featuring themed wine selections with bespoke food pairings, such as the Castelnau Champagne Tasting Dinner.
- Gift Vouchers Gift vouchers available in £25, £50, and £100 denominations, valid for 12 months from purchase and redeemable at the Leicester Square wine bar venue, suitable for personal and corporate gifting.
Companies that use CORK AND BOTTLE LTD
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration1 record
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Berry Bros. & Rudd: Long-established London wine merchant (founded 1698) with a heritage retail and cellar operation and a global fine wine trade; comparable to Cork & Bottle as a legacy UK wine specialist combining rare wine access, curated retail and on-site hospitality.
- Jeroboams: London-focused wine merchant with multiple shops and a strong curated selection of regional and fine wines; competes with Cork & Bottle's online shop and bottle shop-style assortment for the same London wine enthusiast.
- The Sampler: Independent London wine shop with an in-store tasting bar using Enomatic dispensing machines; comparable to Cork & Bottle as a small specialist combining retail, by-the-glass tasting and curated selection.
- Corney & Barrow: Independent London wine merchant with a broad portfolio across price points and a history of supplying restaurants, hotels and private clients; directly comparable on the wine retail and curated selection axes.
- Bedales of Borough: London wine bar and off-trade retailer combining a curated by-the-glass list with a bottle shop; overlaps directly with Cork & Bottle's combined bar plus retail model and enthusiast customer base.
- Vinoteca: Small chain of London wine bars focused on curated regional lists and wine-focused dining; comparable as a multi-location London wine bar operator serving a similar affluent, wine-curious customer.
- Lay & Wheeler: Long-established UK fine wine merchant with a strong online shop and wine club structure; competes most directly with Cork & Bottle's e-commerce and gift/clubs use cases across UK Mainland.
- Hedonism Wines: Mayfair fine wine shop and tasting venue with an emphasis on rare and allocated bottles; comparable to Cork & Bottle's premium and rare-wine positioning, particularly at the upper end of the price range.
- 28°-50° Wine Workshop & Kitchen: London wine bar and kitchen concept built around a curated by-the-glass list and food pairings; a close operational peer to Cork & Bottle's on-premise wine bar offering in central London.
Broad incumbents
- Majestic Wine: The UK's largest specialist wine retailer, with nationwide stores, online D2C and a trade arm; competes most directly with Cork & Bottle's online shop but at significantly larger scale and broader assortment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD social profiles
Digital presenceCORK AND BOTTLE LTD compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about CORK AND BOTTLE LTD
What does CORK AND BOTTLE LTD do?
Cork & Bottle operates a traditional wine bar at 44-46 Cranbourn Street in London's Leicester Square, serving wine by the glass and bottle with food pairings, alongside an e-commerce wine shop stocking over 206 wines from global wine-producing regions with UK Mainland home delivery. The business also hosts wine tasting events such as the Castelnau Champagne Tasting Dinner and sells gift vouchers in £25, £50, and £100 denominations.
Is CORK AND BOTTLE LTD a public or private company?
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was CORK AND BOTTLE LTD founded?
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD was founded in 1971. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is CORK AND BOTTLE LTD based?
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does CORK AND BOTTLE LTD make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Wine Bar On-Premise Sales are the primary driver. The others are online Wine Shop, wine Tasting Events and gift Vouchers.
Who are CORK AND BOTTLE LTD's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Berry Bros. & Rudd, Jeroboams, The Sampler, Corney & Barrow, Bedales of Borough, Vinoteca, Lay & Wheeler, Hedonism Wines and 28°-50° Wine Workshop & Kitchen. Majestic Wine is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does CORK AND BOTTLE LTD have an API?
No public API is recorded for CORK AND BOTTLE LTD.
What industry is CORK AND BOTTLE LTD in?
CORK AND BOTTLE LTD's product category is Wine Bar and Wine Retail. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAEAF, Wine Bars, with a secondary code of CRANABAB, Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants). Its NAICS code is 72241 and its SIC code is 5810.