Ann: WINEDEPOT Partners with Bibendum to launch Marketplace, page-49

I'm absolutely blindsided by this. Thanks to all commentors over last few days identifying potential partners. What this reminded us is the potential for multiple rapid-fire company growing announcements near and medium term. Aldi, Endeavour, ALH etc etc. are still out there and Dean will have a plan to reach them soon.

Bibendum took me by complete surprise. It opens doors to further Australian wine and craft producers - tick. But it opens massive doors to the enormous international wine and craft market connecting us with brands, companies and supply chains internationally which could have taken years and piles of cash to cover via BD. It brings international expansion far closer IMO. But significantly, in Bibendums leadership we have the ex founder of WinePlanet who by his own admission was working on his own project (ecommerce) but is now happy to throw in his lot and be aligned financially and strategically with us at DW8. We've taken out a strategic competitor and gained a massively well networked and resourced champion to support Dean in taking this through to the next stage in AUS and breaking into International.

Better than I'd hoped and as above all the other potential partners are still out there - watch this space...