The Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has launched a new membership tier aimed at the independent retail sector, it has announced. The new WSTA independent merchant (individual) membership is targeting indies with a turnover of under £2.5 million, which it says will cater for smaller businesses that have maybe only one or two premises as well as an online sales channel. Annual subscription is £250 plus VAT, although retailers who sign up by the end of September will get an extra three months subscription for free. Included in the membership is access to condensed market reports and support and advice on lobbying, which the WSTA says will make it easier for businesses to operate in the retail sector, as well as a quarterly surgery with a panel of WSTA experts. Other benefits include practical tools such as an online duty calculator and a fortnightly newsletter to keep indies abreast of any upcoming changes and an online video resource library. It comes after the WSTA stepped up its engagement with the independent sector, working with former Co-op wine boss Simon Cairns to bring the concerns of the independents to the table, which included launching survey to gauge the exact impact that the end of easement will have on independent retailers across the UK. “We need to be able to quantify it,” Cairns told retailers at the London Wine Fair as he called on the sector to unify. “We have a think about the impact and put that in pounds,
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Fine Wine
