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Scottish wine merchant offers online consumers opportunity to 'buy wine with us not from us'

Published:  01 August, 2014

Scottish independent wine merchant Peter Wood is shaking up his online sales by taking a Naked Wines approach and offering customers to "buy wine with us not from us".

Wood described the process as akin to a dating agency, where it would match would-be suitors (winemakers) with consumers directly and still make a margin, but cut out a lot of additional costs.

Wood, who owns St Andrews Wine Company, told Harpers.co.uk that by first collating orders and then placing them, it could cut costs of traditional retail - such as stockholding.

Each product will have an 'order by' date and an estimated arrival date. The customer purchases the wine, then all the orders are collected together and then one delivery arrives at the shop. The wine is then split up amongst those customers that have ordered them.

What's more, he will allow customers to order single bottles - at the same price they would pay if they were buying a whole case - if they commit to filling a case with other wines.He then cellars the wines until 12 bottles have been ordered, then sends it on.

He said he is aiming to "democratise" fine wine by doing this. "We can pass on savings to customers and then commit to more and more volume," he said. Wood said the idea was similar to Naked Wines Angels concept in one respect - customers are asked to 'invest' in certain wines, except that Wood's wines won't be market exclusives. They will be available elsewhere.

Wood also has a physical store, and said that wines would only appear on shelves there once orders have been placed, as the Scottish government prohibits two different prices online and in stores.

Addtionally, St Andrews will be offering a 'curated' list - an excerpt from its regular 800 strong range - which will change every few days. It will have detailed notes, videos or articles to help customers choose wines, as well as content direct from winemakers.

St Andrews Wine Company owner Peter Wood offers Naked Wines approach to buying wine

Scottish independent wine merchant Peter Wood is shaking up his online sales by taking a Naked Wines approach and offering customers to "buy wine with us not from us".

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