Indies bristle at Brexit aggravation

We begin the second, and final, instalment of our reader survey coverage with a look at indies’ buying activities, including the thorny issue of direct sourcing from producers

“Brexit continues to make it disproportionately difficult for smaller operators and importers like ourselves to buy wine directly. We have had to fundamentally change the way we do business, and sadly, unless Keir Starmer grows a pair and says Labour will apply to re-enter the single market in their first term in power, I can’t see the situation changing for the better any time soon.”

Marc Hough, Cork of the North, Manchester

“Brexit has made it much more difficult and cash-demanding to ship direct. The time from collection to arrival is now significant and often burns the credit terms you had. Things are improving, but only very slightly, so we will be more cautious this year.”

Mark Wrigglesworth, The Good Wine Shop, west London

“Lots of smaller-scale producers, even those who have become friends, are less keen to export direct because of Brexit paperwork. I’m looking at local groupage to see if that might help. I would like to direct buy more than I do; customers love it.”

Euan McNicoll, McNicoll & Cairnie, Broughty Ferry

2% Say Brexit will ultimately create net benefits for the UK wine trade

60% Say Brexit will ultimately diminish the success of the UK wine trade

“Brexit has made importing a hassle I don’t need. The proposed duty reform laws will make it even less likely that I will think about shipping again.”

Bruce Evans, Grape & Grain, Crediton

“We stopped buying directly after the Brexit vote and the crash in the value of sterling. Now, with the incredibly complex paperwork, customs declarations and other elements there is almost no incentive for a business our size to navigate the challenge of buying directly. If the currency drastically improved then perhaps the rewards would outweigh the risk and hassle, but right now they don’t.”

Tom Jones, Whalley Wine Shop, Lancashire

“The only wines that I buy direct are those made locally to my shop. I would love to buy some European wines direct but Brexit has put me off.”

Sarah

Truman, Sarah’s Cellar, Battle

70% Say the UK should rejoin the EU at the earliest opportunity

82% Say proposed duty reforms will damage the UK wine trade

“We import wine from one small Austrian winery and that has become very hard work because of Brexit and the paperwork involved. So we will be mostly buying from UK agents unless the system becomes more workable.”

Barry Howarth, Lancaster Wine Company

“Brexit and the NI Protocol Bill has made bringing wine from GB importers much more difficult and lengthy. It is now much easier for me to source directly from Europe, in particular, which is paying dividends in terms of exclusivity and profitability.”

Northern Ireland merchant

“We’ll be buying less from overseas. Brexit has not made it easy for importing from the EU. Also I consider that transporters are making money with the new cost for transferring details from the EAD to the new EX1, and increasing freight charges. Deepsea freight costs have increased as well, but not by such an amount.”

London merchant

“Since Brexit we are purchasing less directly from suppliers and especially those in Europe. This is mainly due to cost and lead times. It is very sad as these are friends as well as suppliers.”

Paul Tate-Smith, Derventio Wines, North Yorkshire

85% Disagree that the government is doing its best to help the UK wine trade thrive

Based on 186 responses. Figures combine votes that agree strongly and those that agree to some degree

You can still get the wines you want –if you plan ahead, argue some merchants

How will your direct buying of wine from producers change this year?

How much of your range is bought direct from producers?

We prefer to use the phrase “direct buying” rather than “importing”, as of course some wine producers are based in the UK.

Although the proportion of wine sourced this way is down on 2022 levels, to just over 16%, this is the sort of annual fluctuation that we tend to expect – as the graph illustrates.

But the figures in the table above do suggest slightly less eagerness for direct buying among many indies than a year ago.

Will independents be joining forces with their buying?

2023 average: 16.2% (-5.5%)

Based on 180 responses

It’s perhaps surprising to see twice as much enthusiasm among independents for formal buying groups than there is for informal groups. But that’s the reality of this year’s survey.

When asked to repond to the statement “I will source some of my wines this year as part of a formal buying group”, 20% agreed strongly – the most emphatic response we’ve seen in the survey over the years.

But overall, 58% do not expect to buy as part of a formal group, and 63% have effectively ruled out informal alliances.

Overall, 14% of respondents expect to buy jointly with other merchants more than they did in the preceding year, one way or another.

Based