Harpers Debate: Indies opting to source direct

By Emily Kearns

Published: 21 May, 2013

An independent wine shop has largely turned its back on wine agencies following concerns over exclusivity of deals.

Speaking at the Harpers Wines & Spirit debate at the London International Wine Fair 2013 at ExCeL, London, Jamie Hutchinson, co-founder of the Sampler in London, said when the shop first opened in 2006 about 70% of its stock came through agents.

However, he said he now sources as much as 75% of his wines direct and in so doing has avoided many of the problems he was encountering through agents.

Hutchinson said: "When we started six or seven years ago there weren't as many [agents] clashing in the supply chain.

"We would buy (wine) from an agency and then we would see it being sold by a competitor or online for a discounted price.

"Also a lot of the agency businesses haven't been managing their brand strategy very well. The wines we were buying were popping up in places we weren't happy to see them."

He added that working directly with vineyards makes good business sense on both sides as the growers can be assured of regular sales in the UK.

However, Hutchinson warned it can take up to nine months from first planning to organise a buying trip to receiving the wine, a period of time he admitted wasn't always tenable for many of the country's smaller independent retailers.

He also admitted he does still source some wines through agencies when he is able to negotiate exclusive deals with them.

Robin Copestick, founder of wine agency Copestick Murray, agreed agents need to do more to prove their worth to the independent sector.

He added: "We've got to prove our product is better than something they can buy direct. We've got to be better, probably at the same price or probably less expensive and more efficient if we're selling to the Sampler - it's got to be spot on."

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