Country's oldest wine merchant goes under

SCOTLAND'S oldest wine merchant has gone into administration after more than 200 years of trading.

Despite the official end of the UK recession last week, Cockburns of Leith, which was founded in 1796, has fallen victim to effects of the global economic downturn and increased competition from the supermarkets. The company called in administrators Ernst & Young on Friday after its directors concluded that the business "could no longer continue to trade".

Wine merchants expressed shock and sadness at the announcement yesterday of the demise of the venerable company which had counted among its customers Sir Walter Scott and Charles Dickens.