THE WINE MERCHANT. An independent magazine for independent retailers
Issue 144, March 2025
Dog of the month: Martha Noah’s Goat, Hastings
EPR fees mean it’s not just duty adding to wine prices Suppliers weigh up whether to follow Boutinot and increase prices now, or wait it out and change lists later this year
W
ine prices are rising even
more steeply than expected
thanks to the extra burden of
Extended Producer Responsibility – the government scheme intended to make
industry contribute more to the costs of recycling packaging.
Boutinot has already added 10p to its
still wines, and 16p to its sparkling wines,
Any company with a turnover of more than
in the year as the fee structure becomes
to increase prices now or to update their
to pre-empt the costs it expects to face and
to avoid announcing further increases later clearer.
There is widespread concern that EPR
has not been properly communicated and
that many businesses remain unregistered.
£1m needs to sign up.
Other suppliers are weighing up whether
lists later in the year.
Alex Linsley, business development
director of Liberty Wines, says: “The
nature of EPR means that its impact on
The Wine Merchant’s 2025 survey has found that the median
big increase in the average selling price of a bottle of still wine in
average turnover for independent wine retailers is £545,000,
the indie sector. It also reveals that almost half of all independents
though the spectrum ranges from around £50,000 to £10m-plus,
now operate as wine shop/wine bar hybrids.
in the case of some of the larger merchants with multiple sites. Our survey, in partnership with Hatch Mansfield, has recorded a
The coverage of our 12th survey of independents starts on page 15 and concludes in our April edition.