Daniel Lambert signs up to Best Practice Guidelines and calls for more action

By Richard Siddle

Published: 24 October, 2014

Daniel Lambert Wines is the latest company to sign up to the Harpers Best Practice Guidelines which looks to help suppliers and independent wine merchants work closer together.

Daniel Lambert is the latest supplier to sign up to Harpers Best Practice Guidelines Daniel Lambert is the latest supplier to sign up to Harpers Best Practice GuidelinesLambert believes the Guidelines could go even further in fostering better relations between suppliers and retailers

Daniel Lambert Wines is the latest company to sign up to the Harpers Best Practice Guidelines which looks to help suppliers and independent wine merchants work closer together.

Daniel Lambert Wines becomes the 20^th supplier to put their name to the Guidelines that have been in place for three years in November.

The Guidelines were re-launched to the trade earlier this month as part of a wide ranging debate between leading independents and suppliers.

Lambert told Harpers.co.uk that he was not only "happy" to sign up to the Guidelines, he believed that potentially "they do not go far enough either the supplier or the retailer".

He explained: "As a company we have worked within these Guidelines for years. Moreover we have made it clear to all our customers we aim to do the following.

"1) We shall never allow any of our wines to enter into the big four supermarkets these being Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrison's. (This is our golden rule).

"2) Any products we have listed with the remaining national suppliers will either have different labels to the independent sector or will not be offered to the independent sector if different labels are not possible.

"3 We shall aim to give independent retailers a local exclusivity on our ranges so long as they honour our general terms and conditions of sale.

"4) In return we ask our customers to sell our ranges to the best of the ability and grow both our businesses."

He added: "It's quite a simple message we are trying to get over. Independent quality grower wines sold by an independent agency to forward thinking independent retailers and wholesalers.

"Now it would seem to me this is what all good agencies that choose to work in this sector should be doing. This really is not rocket science!"

As for his wine offer for independents Lambert added: "We offer wines that have a sense of place that they were made in. Quality is and will always be our number one reason to list a product. Price is important but has to be secondary for us. The countless wine awards our products win clearly demonstrates this. Moreover it's my view an ever more competitive market place the consumer is either looking for the best price or the best quality, and therefore their two distinct types of consumers. The challenge is to try and offer both but for us quality must come first."

If you are interested in finding out any more information about the Guidelines or signing up then contact Richard Siddle on Richard.siddle@wrbm.com.

For a full list of which suppliers have signed up and what the Guidelines mean then go to our newly revamped Best Practice Guidelines section of Harpers.co.uk.

Daniel Lambert Wines Daniel Lambert WinesDaniel Lambert Wines becomes the 20th supplier to sign up to the Guidelines

The Harpers Best Practice Guidelines are:

1. Suppliers that want to publicly endorse the Harpers Best Practice Guidelines should commit themselves to these principles and conduct a transparent relationship with their customers in the independent sector

2. That these suppliers commit to a transparent independent merchant strategy which makes clear which channels of distribution they are trading in. This should be made available on request to individual wine merchants

3. Independent merchants can request information from these suppliers on an individual basis about which channel of distribution the wines and spirits they are interested in stocking are distributed in

4. Sales representatives of these suppliers must be made aware of their distribution strategy covering independent wine merchants

5. These suppliers should, on request from an independent wine merchant, be able to set out how this strategy is managed within their company and understood by their own sales staff

6. That training and information is being provided on these suppliers' distribution management strategy to sales staff

7. That these suppliers should inform affected independent merchants if the distribution management strategy for a particular wine or spirit changes.