Nick Room graduated from Bath University in 1981 with 2:1 Honours in Business Management. He has worked for four years with J Sainsbury, and had a short spell with Boots the Chemist. In 1987 Nick began work at Waitrose in the Wine buyership under the watchful eye of the late Julian Brind MW. Having completed the WSET Certificate, Advanced and Diploma courses in the early 90's, Nick was seconded to work with the team at Findlater, Mackie & Todd when that company was acquired by the John Lewis Partnership in February 1993. Nick shaped the marketing programmes and managed a small team of people in their base at Merton, south London.
In 1998 Findlater's mail order moved to Waitrose offices at Bracknell and became absorbed into the Waitrose complex, branded Waitrose Direct. Nick moved back into buying, and took up the position overseeing Spain, Portugal, (including fortified), S America and the Loire, amongst other regions in his buying portfolio. His was re appointed Waitrose sherry buyer to take up the reins he had relinquished on moving across to Findlater.
Nick is passionate about sherry and has championed the Spanish wine assortment with Waitrose for well over 10 years. His mission is to offer Waitrose customers quality wines with interest and diversity, attaching priority to searching out newer areas in Spain, as well as maintaining a commercial view in offering Spanish wines from more familiar territories in the Iberian peninsula.
Nick was invested in the Gran Orden in 2006 and has served on the Steering Committee of the GOCV since 2007. In October last year (2010) he was invited to become Chairman of the Gran Orden and has taken up this post as of 7 March 2011. |
