Selling drinks in the UK: the channels explained

The four channels

Nearly every UK success story starts in one of these, or a mix of two:

• Off-trade: shops. Supermarkets, convenience and symbol groups (Co-op, SPAR, Nisa), specialist shops (Majestic, The Whisky Exchange) and premium grocers (Waitrose, M&S). The big volume, but listings are slow to win and quick to lose.
• On-trade: pubs, bars, hotels and restaurants, from national pub groups to single-site cocktail bars. Where brands are built and stories told. Independents can often say yes in weeks; groups usually take longer.
• Wholesale and foodservice: Matthew Clark, LWC, Bidfood, Brakes and others. Nobody can sell to tens of thousands of venues one by one; a wholesale listing is how you reach them.
• Online: Amazon, specialists such as Master of Malt, grocery websites like Ocado, and your own shop. The quickest to start and good for testing, but crowded.

Which channel first?

Choose on where your price sits and what you want from the UK, not on what sounds impressive. Three questions help:

• Where does your price sit in the category? Value and mainstream brands suit supermarkets and convenience. Premium brands suit specialist shops and on-trade through wholesale. Super-premium brands often start in bars and specialist shops.
• Can you supply hundreds or thousands of stores consistently? If not yet, leave the big supermarkets for later.
• Is it brand-building or volume? Brand-building points to on-trade and specialists; volume points to grocery, wholesale and Amazon.

Three ways in: importer, agency or online first

With a traditional importer, they buy your stock, own the risk and sell it on their own terms. You give up margin and some control, and in return they bring their sales team and contacts.

With an agency, the stock stays yours: it lands in the UK in your name and the agency sells and runs the account for a fee. You keep control of price and brand, but you fund the stock, duty and marketing.

Online first is the lightest start: land a small amount of stock with a fulfilment partner and sell only on Amazon and a few specialist websites. It tests whether people buy before you spend on supermarkets or a sales team, and it works the same way in other markets too, Germany included. Plenty of brands stay online only, and that's a fine business on its own.

Get UK-ready before you pitch

• UK labels: allergens, strength and a UK business address are the usual changes. Sort them before the first buyer meeting, and check the current rules with Trading Standards or a compliance specialist.
• Your UK numbers: landed cost, duty and VAT, and what each channel's margin leaves on the shelf. Buyers expect a one-page price sheet.
• Samples, a short buyer presenter and a plan for how you'll support the brand once it's listed.

A listing is the start, not the finish

UK buyers judge a drink on how fast it sells. A slow seller can lose its place within a few months, so plan tastings, staff training and social support for the first weeks on shelf, and go back to the buyer with the next order before they ask.

Where LlamaPort helps

UK importers, distributors, retailers and venues browse LlamaPort for new brands. Claim your free page so they can find you and ask for samples in one click. Trade Services lists UK companies for the rest: bonded warehousing, freight, label compliance and sales agencies.