Shinji Hori has been appointed President of Enoteca, the second largest wine group in Japan owned by Japanese drinks giant Asahi, effective from March 16, 2022, replacing Seiya Kuroki.
Founded in 1988, Enoteca has grown to be a leading wine retailer in Asia. Bought by Asahi in 2015, Enoteca today has over 60 stores within Japan and expanded its presence across Asia with wine stores operating in Hong Kong, mainland China, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan and most recently Thailand.
The company achieved total sales revenue of US$400 million, making it the second largest wine group in Japan but the No.1 wine merchant in fine wine category.
Hori has worked in Enoteca for close to eight years, heading its international division before being appointed his current role.
He is credited for expanding Enoteca business to six major regions: Hong Kong, Singapore, mainland China, South Korea, Taiwan and Thailand, and has steered the management of international business.
In 2020 amid the pandemic, the company expanded its business in Thailand, and the group aims to further increase its foothold in wine retail business in the region, according to Hori.
“Enoteca’s future vision for 2030 is to become the supreme and market leading wine merchant in Asia. We will focus on creating and expanding new wine lovers,” says the newly appointed president.
“While strengthening relationships with the world’s top producers, we will expand our overseas markets. We currently have wine stores and wholesale operations in major Asian cities including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Taipei, Seoul, Busan, Singapore, and Bangkok, and we plan to open more stores and expand our sales area,” he added.
“In Asia, we believe that wine culture will take root in households as the consumer market expands. We believe that we, Enoteca, as a group of wine experts, have a significant role to play in this process. We will continue to be active and focus on building a fan base for wine lovers and ENOTECA in the fast-growing Asian market,” he commented.
Enoteca currently operates 64 wine stores in Japan, and has six overseas offices in Asian regions with 34 shops.
Read more:
