Subscriber login Close [x]
remember me
You are not logged in.

Henry Butler blog: we need good service, transparency and a stop to cutting out value

Published:  27 September, 2011

Henry Butler, of Butlers Wine Cellar, Brighton, on how we need good service, transparency and to put an end to the obsession of discounting from suppliers.

Henry Butler, of Butlers Wine Cellar, Brighton, on how we need good service, transparency and to put an end to the obsession of discounting from suppliers.

Harper's acted as a useful forum to open up discussion about unannounced deep discounting by multiples on supposed independent lines, the role of the internet-only merchant, and how these issues affect a bricks and mortar retailer. As an independent retailer, I have recently become more and more frustrated about the lack of communication and openness between suppliers and retailers.

So much so that I spent good money travelling to London village to attend a debate discussing this situation, when I should have been on the front line selling wine and endeavouring to deliver great customer service. I have also resorted to joining a group of independent merchants, called rather imaginatively, The Vindependents, this frustratingly eats up a lot of time, time that should be spent on commerce, I don't even like half the group!


Jamie Hutchinson of the Sampler stimulated a lot of posturing, based around his comments in previous, well-written concise articles, about the possibility of a supplier/retailer charter. This to me, clearly implied that perhaps a gentle code of conduct between both parties might be useful, something that gave an indication of the intentions of suppliers, with independent merchants in mind. 

The annoyance with this sort of meeting is wasting time having to get beyond too much defensive ego. We as retailers want to buy wines from good suppliers; we have no problem with growers, suppliers, and retailers all making a fair and reasonable margin - everybody really does have to make a living. Communication and clarity of information is key, and good customer service, all of which one would think was standard practice. Many suppliers are of course excellent, those who attended were appreciated, maybe more of a statement is made by those who did not wish to attend.

It was a useful forum with which opinions can be aired. But how will this be progressed, how can we work closely together to get the best producers on the tables of our customers? It seems to me we all want the same end result, and wouldn't we all be able to achieve this a lot more easily if there was straightforward good service at all levels, transparency of information, and a stop to this incessant obsession with cutting the value out of good products.

Keywords: