THE WINE MERCHANT. An independent magazine for independent retailers
Issue 77, February 2019
Cat of the Month: Links Bentley’s, Ludlow
Meet Brigitte Bordeaux
Kathryn Stead says goodbye to teaching to start a career in wine: page 20
Independents: a £560m category The independent trade is now worth just under £560m, according to findings in this year’s Wine Merchant reader survey. Although the figure represents an
all-time high for specialist indies, and
comes at a time when store numbers are
continuing to set new records, the total is
just 2.5% above that registered in the 2018 survey.
Per business, average revenue now
stands at just over £832,000, down from
just over £869,000 last year. The median
figure is £435,000, not far off the £431,500 recorded last year.
The figures equate to takings of around
£612,500 per shop, down from £634,700
in the 2018 study. The numbers illustrate that independents have largely struggled to make progress in the past 12 months
and that the growth in the category is
essentially being driven by the contribution of new arrivals and new stores.
This year’s reader survey, organised in
partnership with Hatch Mansfield, had a record response, with 189 independent wine businesses taking part.
• Full survey analysis begins in our March edition.