A popular wine merchant which has been helping to refine the Sussex palate for 25 years has been sold to two of its longest-serving staff members.

Managers Andy Rice and Gary Jenner have bought Brighton-based St Martin Vintners from previous owner and founder Martin Sneath, who retired last year.

The company runs the Sussex Wine Club - which has 150 members - and is a wholesaler to the licensed trade and corporate hospitality sectors.

Its shop, office and warehouse are in Trafalgar Street, underneath Brighton railway station.

Mr Jenner, 47, who joined St Martin ten years ago and founded the wine club, said the previous owner was anxious the ethos of the business was preserved.

He said: "He was keen to continue his legacy, which meant not selling to one of the bigger industry players, so he was thrilled that we have pursued this route.

"We have plans to grow the business further.

"We want to maintain the trade side of the company, extend the retail aspect and revamp the website to encourage more internet sales."

Mr Rice, 40, who has been with St Martin Vintners for three years, said there were plans to create a virtual tour of the wine cellars on the company's website. He also announced plans to create a line of St Martin Vintner glassware.

He said: "There has been a huge upsurge in the popularity of wine in the last few years and we are now the biggest consumers of the stuff in Europe.

"We have always liked to keep on top of the trends here and introduce wines that are going to be big. But we always buy on quality not price."

The management buy-out deal took eight months to complete and was backed by Haywards Heath asset-based lending company Venture Finance.

Tony Tydeman, Venture Finance business development manager, said: "St Martin Vintners is a well-respected company with a solid 25-year history.

"However, the reason this deal ultimately went ahead was because we were convinced of the company's significant potential and positive future.

We look forward to supporting St Martin Vintners' expansion in the years to come."