Tony Laithwaite

Anthony Hugh Gordon Laithwaite (born 1945) is a British entrepreneur in the wine industry who is known for pioneering the home-delivery wine business.

Early life and education Laithwaite read Geography at Durham University and wrote his dissertation on the wines of Saint-Émilion. In 1969 he founded the wine importation business Bordeaux Direct, starting with five labels and 150 customers. Barbara Laithwaite, wife and business partner of Tony, negotiated a deal to form the Sunday Times Wine Club, which helped the company expand through mail-order distribution – an area of the business later rebranded as Laithwaites Wine.

By 2010 the Laithwaites wine list had grown to 2,500 wines and the company employed 1,000 people worldwide. In 2019, Laithwaite was made CBE in the Birthday Honours list for services to the British and global wine industry.