WSTA guide to setting up a Wine & Spirit business · The Wine And Spirit Trade Association WSTA...

The Wine And Spirit Trade Association

WSTA guide to setting up a wine and spirit business

WSTA guide to setting up a

Wine & Spirit business

THE WINE AND SPIRIT TRADE ASSOCIATIONTHE WINE AND SPIRIT TRADE ASSOCIATION

1- Introduction 3

2- Researching the Market 4

3- Education 5• The WSET• Licensing courses• Other training

4- Setting up a business 6• Legal structure• Registering for VAT• Company Name, domain name and registration• Food Safety ‘Due Diligence’ obligations

5- Legislation 9• Licensing• EU regulations (applicable in the UK)• Labelling / Packaging• UK Enforcement of EU wine and spirit regulations• Local Authorities• Environmental

6- Taxation and Importing 14• Excise Duty• Customs Duty• VAT• Importing

7- Mail order and Online retailing 17• Licensing issues• Best business practice• Ageverification

8- Social Responsibility 18

9- Useful links 19




A note about the WSTA:

• TheWSTAisthevoiceofthewineandspiritindustry,representingover340companiesproducing,importingandsellingwinesandspirits.

• WSTAmembersrangefrommajorretailers,brandownersandwholesalerstofinewineandspiritspecialists,logisticsandbottlingcompanies.

• WSTAmembersarepartofapowerful,unifiedindustryvoice,helpingussecuretheUKasagoodplaceforthewineandspiritsectortodobusiness.

1- Introduction

If you are interested in entering the alcoholic drinks industry you will potentially be joining over 1.5 million people in the UK who are already working in this fascinating, dynamic and diverse sector. And with such a wide range of wines and spirit drinks products on the market, there are an equally wide range of business and employment opportunities available.

For example, if you are thinking about becoming a specialist buyer or importer you might be involved with activities such as visiting vineyards, negotiating prices, maintaining relationships with producers and working with wholesalers.

While if you are considering becoming a wine merchant you will be involved with activities such as taking payments for goods, ordering and displaying stock, maintaining sales targets, following legal requirements, recruiting staff and providing advice to customers.



2- Researching the Market

Before starting a wine business it is important to research the market and to familiarise yourself with some of the facts and figures about the size and nature of the industry.

The value of the UK alcohol in 2012 was some £38 billion.

There are over 200 registered distilleries in the UK supplying approximately one third of the spirits consumed on the domestic market (some 276 million litres of spirits were sold in the UK in 2012). 18% of all direct employment in the EU spirit industry is in the UK.

As for wine, by value the UK is the largest importer of wine. In 2012 1.7 billion bottles of wine were sold in the UK with wines from Australia being the most popular by volume.

The UK wine sector continues to grow from strength to strength and there are roughly 450 commercial vineyards from Cornwall to North Yorkshire supplying over 130 commercial vineyards who produce wines that now compete with the best in the world.

Another key factor is knowing how tax will affect price. The UK currently has the third highest rate of tax on wine and the fourth highest on spirits. Currently tax represents about 57% of the total price of an average priced bottle of wine and 79 % of the average price of a 70cl bottle of spirits.

Further details about tax payable in the alcoholic drinks sector are set out in section 6.

There are numerous organisations (listed in section 9) that can provide you with more market data. In addition the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has provides monthly reports.

In addition, members of the WSTA receive discounts on most publications, such as the drinks business, Drinks International, Off License News and Wine & Spirit all of which you can subscribe to online.

The most up to date information on trade events that are taking place, are listed on the WSTA Trade Diary available on our website.



3- Education

The WSET:

Should you need to develop your wine and spirit knowledge and develop your palate the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET) offers education courses at locations in the UK and around the world.

Their courses will help increase your knowledge when choosing the wines and spirits you sell so you are able to offer your customers educated advice on which wines are appropriate for certain occasions and for food matching combinations.

Licensing courses:

The BII (formerly The British Institute of Inn keeping) runs licensing courses which must be taken prior to sitting a personal license holders exam which you may have to take depending on your business set up. Details are available online: http://www.bii.org/home

Other training:

Business Link offers advice on training for those considering starting up in business. The Careers Advice Service also offers advice on relevant courses for the self-employed.

Business Link training directory:

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1074400185&r.li=1075302919&r.l1=1073858805

Careers advice on self-employment:

http://careersadvice.direct.gov.uk/



4- Setting up a business

The following section is merely an overview of some of the legal requirements for setting up a new business. We strongly advise that you contact Companies House or Business Link UK in order to gain additional information and advice on the following matters:

Registering for VAT

VAT is a tax that’s charged on most business transactions in the UK. Businesses add VAT to the price they charge when they provide goods and services to both business customers and non-business customers.

If you’re a VAT-registered business, in most cases you:

• charge VAT on the goods and services you provide

• reclaim the VAT you pay when you buy goods and services for your business

If you’re not VAT-registered then you can’t reclaim the VAT you pay when you purchase goods and services.

If you’re a business and the goods or services you provide count as what’s known as ‘taxable supplies’ you have to register for VAT if either:

• your turnover for the previous 12 months has gone over a specific limit - called the ‘VAT threshold’ (currently £79,000); or

• you think your turnover will soon go over this limit

You can choose to register for VAT if you want, even if you don’t have to.

Most VAT registration applications can be done online; all other VAT registration forms are available to download from the HMRC website: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/vat/index.htm

Legal structure

You need to make sure the business you are setting up has the most appropriate legal structure so consider which structure best suits the way that you do business as this will affect:

• the tax and National Insurance that you pay

• the records and accounts that you have to keep

• your financial liability if the business runs into trouble

• the ways your business can raise money

• the way management decisions are made about the business



For further information, visit the HMRC website: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/startingup/index.htm

Company name, domain name and registration

Before you apply to set up a company, it is advisable to search the index at Companies House to see if there are already any companies with names similar to the one you want: http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk

If there is a trade mark registration or application for including a mark which is identical or similar to the company name which is registered, you may face legal action for trade mark infringement.

All company names must end with the words ‘Limited’, ‘Unlimited’, ‘Public Limited Company’, or their abbreviations or Welsh equivalents. Certain companies may apply for exemption from using ‘limited’.

For further information, please visit the Companies House website:

http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/about/gbhtml/gbf2.shtml#five

To register your business, you will need to fill in the relevant documentation and return it to Companies House at the following addresses:

For companies formed in England & Wales:

The Registrar of Companies / Companies House

Crown Way, Cardiff CF14 3UZ

DX33050 Cardiff 1

For companies formed in Scotland:

The Registrar of Companies / Companies House

37 Castle Terrace

Edinburgh EH1 2EB

DX ED235 Edinburgh 1

LP – 4 Edinburgh 2

When you are researching your company name you should also check availability and register a domain name (or web address) for your business. To do this you will need to register through an agent, who will charge a small annual fee. You should do this as soon as possible - even if you are not going to use your domain name straight away.



There are many companies who offer this service such as

http://www.internic.ltd.uk/ ;

http://www.domaincheck.co.uk/ . A detailed list can be found via http://www.nominet.org.uk/registrants/register/agent )

For further information, visit the business link website:

http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/layer?topicId=1073858805&r.s=tl

The Inland Revenue ‘working for yourself’ guide provides useful information on self-employment: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/startingup/working-for-yourself.pdf

Food Safety ‘Due Diligence’ obligations

Alcoholic beverages are classed as food products under European Union legislation, in particular EU Food Law Regulation 178/2002 and Food Hygiene Regulation 852/2004, so you will have legal obligations for the safety of the alcoholic beverages that you import and/or sell to your customers or direct to the consumer. You will be classified under the law as a ‘Food Business Operator’ so you will need to register with your local authority before you commence any trade. They can also advise on any training needs associated with the legislation.

Under UK Food Law (The Food Safety Act 1990 and its revisions) the owner of the house brand has legal responsibility for it, and has to demonstrate ‘due diligence’ if there are any enforcement challenges (for example if there was a consumer safety issue such as glass in the product).

While a Company that produces that product on behalf of the brand owner still has a responsibility for producing a safe and legal product, it is the brand owner that has to demonstrate to the authorities that that supplier is competent to produce that product in a safe and legal fashion. The brand owner has the following obligations under due diligence, namely:

a. to ensure the product to be made is described in a detailed specification, which complies with any compositional standards or good manufacturing practice;

b. to satisfy themselves that the intended supplier is competent to produce and/or process the product specified and complies with all relevant legal requirements and operates systems of production control in accordance with good manufacturing or agricultural practice;

c. from time to time make visits to suppliers, where practical, to verify point b) or to receive the result of any other audit of the suppliers systems for that purpose;



d. devise a programme, having regard to the relative hazards of the product, for random samples to be taken for examination, testing or analysis to check continuing compliance with specifications;

e. to monitor customer complaints about own-label products and to take necessary action when failures are so disclosed

The above has been taken from Ref:The Food Safety Act 1990, The Guidelines for a Due Diligence Defence 1991, and apply to retailers, wholesalers, food service companies, and big brand owners.



5- Legislation

Licensing

The responsibility for administering the licensing regime is through the licensing authorities, usually your local District or Borough Council. There are four licensing objectives which must be promoted by Licensing Authorities:

1. The prevention of crime and disorder

2. Public safety

3. The prevention of public nuisance

4. The protection of children from harm

All sales of alcohol to the general public, irrespective of the quantity, will require the seller to have a license. The sale of alcohol by retail is a licensable activity. Exceptions are:

1. Sales to a trader for the purposes of his trade.

2. Sales to a club, which holds a club premises certificate, for the purposes of that club.

3. Sales to a personal license holder for the purpose of making sales authorised by a premises license.

4. Sales to a premises license holder for the purpose of making sales authorised by that license.

5. Sales to the premises user in relation to a Temporary Event Notice for the purpose of making sales authorised by that notice.

The retail sector of the alcohol trade is one that is heavily regulated and monitored. But no matter what sector you are going into, it is essential that you become familiar with the Licensing Act of 2003 and any relevant requirements to avoid any legal liability.

There are three basic types of licenses: premises, personal and temporary.

A premises license authorises the use of any premise for licensable activities. To sell or supply alcohol under a premises license there must be at least one personal license holder at the premises who can make or authorise the sale.

Every premises license needs a ‘Designated Premises Supervisor’ in order to sell alcohol – this will normally be the person in everyday charge of the premises. He/She will be readily identifiable as responsible for selling, or authorising the sale of, alcohol. The Designated Premises Supervisor must be a personal license holder.



Holding a personal license authorises an individual to supply, or authorise the supply of, alcohol in accordance with a premises license.

• To sell alcohol there must be at least one personal license holder in the business.

• A business can have as many personal license holders at it needs.

• An individual must apply to the local authority where they reside – the authority will be able to provide the application form.

• Your application must include: a certificate that you have obtained the accredited qualification, a Criminal Record Basic Disclosure, two photos, and the fee.

A person will need a temporary license if he/she wishes to sell or supply alcohol temporarily. Instead of obtaining a premises license you can submit a Temporary Event Notice to the local authority where your event will be held. The notice must be given to the authority at least 10 days in advance. There are limits on the number of notices that can be given in a year, how long they last, and how often premises can be used.

The Licensing Act of 2003 will affect various people differently depending on what sector of the wine industry they plan on going into. The WSTA has published a range of technical and regulatory publications covering specific areas of the wine and spirit trade. There are separate guides for retailers, wholesalers, wine producers, and distance sellers regarding how the licensing act will affect each differently. These guides are available free on our website to members, and non-members may purchase them from the WSTA either online or by calling 020 7089 3877.

The Guidance that accompanies the Licensing Act 2003 is available here: http://www.wsta.co.uk/images/RASG/guidance-section-182-licensing.pdf

EU Regulations

The production, labelling and importation of wines and spirits into the UK are mostly governed by EU law. The WSTA has expertise in this area and assists its members with compliance to EU regulations governing wines, spirits and other imported alcoholic beverages. Sometimes is can be unclear as to what agency enforces which law. There are five major enforcement authorities in the UK:

• HM Revenue and Customs;

• Food Standards Agency - Wine Standards Branch (formerly known as the Wine Standards Board);

• Environmental Health Departments;

• Trading Standards Departments.

• Local authorities



For further information on wine regulations, please visit the following pages of the European Commission website:

Wine:

http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/markets/wine/leg/index_en.htm

Spirits:

http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=OJ:L:2008:039:0016:0054:EN:PDF

The WSTA publishes ‘Checklists: a comprehensive guide to UK and EU regulations for Wines and Spirits’. This publication, produced on CD-ROM or available to WSTA Members online, provides a clear picture of the UK and EU regulatory framework that applies to wines, spirits and RTDs.

Labelling and Packaging

Wine labelling in the UK is governed by both EU and UK Regulations. Labels must provide compulsory information set out in EU food labelling legislation and specific EU wine legislation. Spirits definition, description, presentation and labelling are governed by Regulation 110/2008. Labelling and Product Descriptions are enforced in the UK by the Wine Standards Branch of the Food Standards Agency and Local Authorities.

Packaging sizes (Bottles and other containers) can only fall within a certain range of sizes (called ‘prescribed sizes’) which are detailed in EU Law and enforced in the UK by Local Authorities.

In the UK, a Voluntary Agreement is in place between the industry and the Government regarding labelling of sensible drinking guidelines and a pregnancy warning.

UK Enforcement of EU wine and spirit regulations

The Food Standards Agency has responsibility for enforcing the EU wine regulations in the UK. It also maintains the UK Vineyards Register. Enforcement responsibilities apply to all premises and traders within the production and marketing chain, including wholesalers, warehouses and vineyards. The FSA’s Wine Standards Branch employs regional inspectors who carry out a programme of inspections, to identify breaches of the law and gather evidence for legal action in serious cases. It also works closely with other regulatory bodies.

For further information: http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/winestandards/

EU spirits regulations are enforced by local authorities.

Local Authorities

Local authorities are responsible for two key areas that would affect a wine business: Licensing and Packaging (weights & measures).



Each of the 126 UK local authorities acts autonomously but still within the within the framework of UK and EU law. Arrangements made with one local authority should not be assumed to be valid in areas controlled by other local authorities. The ‘home authority’ principle established in 1984 is helpful with regard to this matter whereby a local authority accepts responsibility as the home authority for a particular company based within its area.

The advantage to the Trade is that once a home authority has given a trader the green light on a particular product’s description, presentation, packaging etc, all queries from other local authorities are referred (in the first instance) not to the trader but to the home authority. Generally, the home authority will be the local authority within whose area the company’s registered office is based. However, where that address is used simply for labelling purposes or administrative convenience, the authority designated could be the one in whose area is situated the business premises where the relevant company decisions are made. Traders will find it most helpful, therefore, to maintain a close relationship with their home authority.

Environmental Sustainability

Environmental sustainability is factor influencing many consumers. It may be worthwhile for you to green your own business and enquire as to which of your suppliers are environmentally conscious and active. Running a green enterprise can save your business money, and wines that are produced in an environmental manner offer a unique selling point over other brands.

Packaging and waste regulations already exist in the UK so your business should develop a waste strategy and be aware of any relevant regulations that exist.

The UK’s Producer Responsibility regulations (http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20053468.htm) affect any company involved in the packaging supply chain that has a turnover larger than £2 million, or handles more than 50 tonnes of packaging each year.

Under these regulations, companies carry out their producer responsibility by purchasing enough packaging waste recovery notes (PRNs - http://www.letsrecycle.com/materials/packaging/packaging_waste.jsp ) or their export equivalent (PERNs) to meet their obligation; this will depend on how much packaging they place on the market. Obligated companies can sign up to compliance schemes to carry out their obligations,

(http://www.letsrecycle.com/materials/packaging/compliance.jsp) or purchase PRNs or PERNs themselves from accredited reprocessors (http://www.letsrecycle.com/materials/packaging/packagingRecyclers.jsp) and exporters. PRN/PERN prices (http://www.letsrecycle.com/prices/prnPrices.jsp) are determined by supply and demand.

If you meet either of these two criteria (turnover larger than £2 million, or handling more than 50 tonnes of packaging each year) you will need to:



• Register with the Environment Agency (in Scotland, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency; in Northern Ireland, the Environment and Heritage Service),

• Pay a registration fee

• Calculate the amount of packaging you handle.

Then you have two options:

• Join a registered compliance scheme that will take on your obligations under the regulations and discharge them for you (http://npwd.environment-agency.gov.uk/PublicRegisterSchemes.aspx

• Choose to take on and discard your recovery and recycling obligations yourself. You will need to have evidence of compliance that the required amount of packaging waste has been recovered or recycled. The only acceptable evidence is the Packaging Waste Recovery Note (PRN), or the Packaging Waste Export Recovery Note (PERN). These are only available from accredited packaging waste re-processors and exporters.

*** It is a criminal offence not to discharge your obligations under the Packaging Waste Regulations.

Details for the Packaging Waste Regulations can be found via the following link:

http://www.wsta.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=152&Itemid=95



6- Taxation and Importing

There are three types of taxation in the UK: excise duty, VAT and customs duty.

Excise Duty

Excise Duty is payable on alcoholic beverages brought into the UK from within the EU.

Excise Duty AND Customs Duty is payable on alcoholic beverages imported from countries outside the EU.

Excise duty on wine is charged in various bands according to the alcoholic strength of the product. Lower rates are applicable to wines not exceeding 5.5% (Alcohol by volume) and a higher rate is applied for sparkling wines. Duty is expressed in Pounds Sterling per hectolitre of liquid and the duty rates are normally set in the Chancellor’s yearly budget.

Excise duty on spirits and fortified wines exceeding 22% ABV is expressed in Pounds Sterling per litre of alcohol.

Current duty rates can be found on our website at: http://www.wsta.co.uk/resources/facts-figures

Customs Duty

The same rate of Customs duty is common to all members of the EU, and it is known as a Common Customs Tariff (CCT). It is paid in addition to any national excise duties on wines and spirits entering the EU from third countries and can be paid in any Member state, allowing the goods to move in “free circulation” within the EU after the tax has been paid.

Customs duty on wine is expressed in Euros per hectolitre of liquid which is converted into Pounds Sterling using an “industrial” rate, published monthly and is expressed as %ABV by Tariff Classification and product type. Customs duty on spirits is calculated in both liquid litres and litres of alcohol using Euros and the conversion rate issued by Customs with reference to the Tariff Classification.

Importing

Before importing a specific wine or spirit, it is worth bearing in mind that some producers may already have an exclusive UK importer or distributor for their wines. To find out which company imports a specific brand, refer to either Harpers Wine and Spirit Directory (http://www.talkingdrinks.com/ ) or the drinks business UK Buyers Guide (http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/)

There are various administrative requirements for importing wines and spirits and full details can be obtained by contacting HM Revenue and Customs:



http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channelsPortalWebApp/channelsPortalWebApp.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=pageImport_Home

For transportation of your products and dealing with the various customers requirements there are a number of logistics companies who can do this on your behalf. For a list of logistics companies please go to our website link: http://www.wsta.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=63

There are a number of trade agreements between some non-EU wine producing countries and the European Union which can have an incidence on trading with these countries. Find out more details on the wine pages of the Commission: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/markets/wine/leg/index_en.htm



7 – Distance selling:

Please note that this section only deals with Licensing issues and best business practice specific to distance selling. The Licensing section above and the Social Responsibility section hereafter will provide more detailed advice on traditional retailing.

Licensing:

The location of sale determines who needs to be licensed. If the alcohol is stored, specifically selected, for and dispatched to the purchaser from the warehouse then it is the warehouse, and not the call centre, that will need to have a premises license. The warehouse will also need a designated premises supervisor who needs to be a personal license holder.

Best business practice:

The WSTA run an accreditation scheme under a Code of Practice for Distance Selling. To view the Code please follow this link. If distance selling through the internet is something your organisation will be interested in, it will be important to have the most reliable age verification schemes and software in place. The WSTA has recently announced that it will be working with 192 Business Services to offer this type of age verification to our members at a 15% discount.

Age verification:

There is increasing pressure from Trading Standards on online retailers to set up age verification systems on their websites to ensure their customers are over the age of 18. Guidance and terms and conditions on websites selling alcohol should state clearly that age restricted products are being sold. Using age verification systems, similar to what is being used in the gambling industry, should be considered.



8- Social Responsibility

The WSTA works with its members to improve standards across the industry and share best practice. Businesses operating in the production, marketing and retail of alcohol in the UK are under rising pressure from the Government and the media to demonstrate that they are working to reduce alcohol-related harm. This ‘social responsibility’ agenda is not new, but has recently become increasingly high profile. There are a number of ways that wine and spirits organisations are encouraged to act in a responsible way. These include:

1. Public Health Responsibility Deal

The WSTA is at the forefront of the Government’s Public Health Responsibility Deal to tackle alcohol misuse. Government, businesses and NGOs have come together to improve public health through a series of voluntary commitments. The WSTA is playing a leading role in shaping the alcohol industry’s participation in the Deal. Key pledges agreed by industry include:

a. Voluntary Labelling Scheme - Building on the 2007 voluntary labelling agreement, the Responsibility Deal includes an industry commitment to include health and unit information on over 80 per cent of alcohol products on shelves by 2013. We have put together free guidance on how to comply with the labelling scheme. Click here for more detail.

b. Unit Reduction Pledge – In order to continue fostering a culture of responsible drinking in the UK, the industry has pledged to remove 1bn units of alcohol sold annually from the market by December 2015 principally through improving consumer choice of lower alcohol products.

To find out more about the industry’s commitments, please go to: http://responsibilitydeal.dh.gov.uk/

2. Challenge 25

Challenge 25 is a retailing strategy that encourages anyone who is over 18 but looks under 25 to carry acceptable ID (a card bearing the PASS hologram, a photographic driving license or a passport) if they wish to buy alcohol.

Challenge 25 builds on the highly successful Challenge 21 campaign developed by the Retail of Alcohol Standards Group (RASG) in 2005. Challenge 21 proved an effective tool to tackle underage purchase, and research has demonstrated that 90% of 18-24 years olds are aware of the Challenge 21 scheme.

A guide on how to adopt Challenge 25 can be downloaded here: http://www.wsta.co.uk/images/RASG/2013workstreams/HowtoadoptChallenge%2025.pdf

3. Retail of Alcohol Standards Group

RASG is an unprecedented example of cooperation between hugely competitive rival companies, it has provided a focus for the entire alcohol retail trade and continues to be a



source of industry best practice. This includes working to develop and implement projects and programmes such as Challenge 25 and Community Alcohol Partnerships. By helping to change culture, it has increased retailer determination to sell alcohol responsibly and continues to work on new and developing issues around underage, proxy or illegal sales.

All multiple retailers from the WSTA are invited to play a part in RASG.

4. Community Alcohol Partnerships

The Community Alcohol Partnerships (CAPs) bring together local retailers and licensees, trading standards, Police, health services, education providers and other local stakeholders to tackle the problem of underage drinking and associated anti-social behaviour.

The CAP model is unique in that it recognises that retailers and licensees are an integral part of a local solution and has been shown to be more effective than traditional enforcement methods alone.

Each CAP scheme operates in a clearly delineated and usually compact local community and draws on local partners to develop and implement delivery at grassroots level. Funded by industry (retailers and producers) CAPs look to ensure that they are delivered at no extra cost to the local community or stakeholders.

5. The Portman Group

The Portman Group is the social responsibility body for alcohol producers. They operate a strict Code of Practice to ensure alcohol is marketed responsibly and does not appeal to children. This Code applies to all pre-packaged alcohol sold or marketed in the UK. Since the Portman Group was set up in 1989, they have banned over 80 irresponsible products in co-operation with retailers.

6. Drinkaware

Drinkaware is an independent charity supported by voluntary donations from across the drinks industry to equip people with the knowledge to make sensible decisions about how much they drink. They provide accessible, evidence-based information about alcohol and its effects to employers, young people, teachers, parents and community workers. Using a range of mediums, such as film, multimedia and TV, they help dispel myths and present the honest facts about alcohol. In 2011 Drinkaware had over 2.8m individual visitors to their website.



9. Useful Links

A C Nielsen http://www.acnielsen.co.uk/

BII http://www.bii.org

Business link: http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/

Companies House http://www.companieshouse.gov.uk/

Community Alcohol Partnerships www.communityalcoholpartnerships.co.uk

Defra: http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodrin/wine/index.htm

Drinkaware www.drinkaware.co.uk

Drinks International http://www.drinksint.com/

Environment agency http://npwd.environment-agency.gov.uk/

Envirowise http://www.envirowise.gov.uk/

European Commission’s wine pages: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/markets/wine/leg/index_en.htm

Food Standards Agency :http://www.food.gov.uk/

Harpers weekly http://www.talkingdrinks.com/

HMRC http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/home.htm

lets recycle http://www.letsrecycle.com/

Local authorities’ finder: http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/localauthorities/index.cfm?action=authority

Off licence news http://www.offlicencenews.co.uk/

Office of National Statistics http://www.statistics.gov.uk/

The Portman Group www.portmangroup.co.uk

The Drinks Business http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/

Wine and Spirit Education trust http://www.wset.co.uk/

Wine and Spirit Trade Association: http://www.wsta.co.uk

Wine Intelligence http://www.wineintelligence.com/

Wine Standards Branch of the FSA http://www.food.gov.uk/foodindustry/winestandards/

WRAP: http://www.wrap.org.uk/

WSTA guide to setting up a wine & spirit business

Published by:

The Wine And Spirit Trade AssociationInternational Wine & Spirit Centre39- 45 Bermondsey StreetLondon SE1 3XF

+44 (0) 2070 893 [email protected] number: 410660 England Limited by Guarantee

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Last updated: February 2014

Any advice is offered by the Association in good faith and whilst every attempt has been made to ensure its accuracy it is to be considered as a general guide only and the Wine & Spirit Trade Association disclaims all liability for any inaccuracies or omissions therein or for any typing errors. Professional advice should therefore be obtained or reference made to the appropriate source material before taking any decisions or action on any specific matter on the basis of the information given herein.

WSTA guide to setting up a Wine & Spirit business · The Wine And Spirit Trade Association WSTA...

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