How We Work with Suppliers
The Society of Vintners provides one-stop access to wholesalers for its members, covering the On-Trade across the whole of the UK. We handle the liaison with our members so suppliers avoid the need to deal directly with customers, reducing the need for costly travel to the UK. The Society manages everything including requests for information, sample requests, queries about quality, price negotiation, labelling, bulk shipping and invoicing.
With access to 29 like-minded stockists, suppliers have ready access to potential customers within the Society of Vintners. If a supplier currently deals with five of our members, we have another 24 companies all lined up and ready to consider stocking those wines. And as we hold the stocks in the UK, our members can start by taking just a couple of sample cases to test the market. This is much more attractive than risking the investment in shipping a pallet or two (100+ cases) and hoping they can all be sold.
Investing in the Future
The Society seeks to build long-term partnerships and trading relationships with quality suppliers, investing in the future rather than the short term. With the Society’s long-standing staff, it is easy for suppliers to build a long-term relationship. With one contact point for the whole country and one person with whom to negotiate for pricing, typically suppliers only need to visit the UK once or twice a year. It also means one sales invoice for supplies to the whole country – not a multitude of small invoices to many small companies – making it cheaper and more convenient for suppliers. Credit risk is reduced as suppliers deal with one long-standing company, owned by the members, with an excellent trading record.
One large order for the whole country means easier production planning, higher volumes for bottling, label printing, and so on. If production costs are kept low, pricing can be kept low, translating to higher sales. One large order for the country means reduced shipping costs, so the wine is more attractive in the market place.
A further benefit for suppliers concerns vineyard visits, which can be managed more efficiently with a larger group every five to ten years rather than a steady trickle every few months.