Concerned members of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association are
calling on the Transport Secretary to take urgent action over HGV
driver shortages and freight disruption to avoid some of our
favourite tipples from disappearing from the UK supermarket
shelves.
49 of the UK’s wine and spirit businesses put their names to a
letter, penned by the WSTA and sent last week, after rising costs
and supply chain chaos have held up wine and spirit deliveries.
The WSTA has received multiple reports from its membership who
are highlighting that importing products is now taking up to five
times longer than they were a year ago.
Businesses who had previously been able to fulfil orders in two
to three days are now experiencing shipments taking 15 days to
process.
Costs have increased around 7% (and often more) by freight
forwarders to account for driver retention. This is particularly
a concern for SMEs who are unable to compete with large
businesses to attract drivers.
Frustrated companies have found that drivers and vehicles are
increasingly unpredictable in their arrival times, meaning goods
are either not ready or are left waiting for collection.
As a particularly competitive industry, the inability to fulfil
orders in a timely manner can result in the loss of business, as
products can be easily replaced by comparable products from
elsewhere in the world.
The WSTA and its members are calling on Government to take action
as a matter of urgency to save British business from descending
even further into delivery chaos.
In the letter the trade association told Transport Secretary
, it was imperative that he
take the following steps:
- Extend the temporary visa scheme for HGV drivers from 28
February 2022 to a minimum of one year, to ease the burden on
industry and allow for a sufficient increase in domestic drivers.
- Actively facilitate better routing of freight from ports
(e.g., rail, river, coastal freight) and smaller UK-based driver
networks for short-haul journeys, delivering Government
investment and working in partnership with industry to achieve
this goal.
- Deliver regular updates on DVLA processing HGV driving tests
and licences.
Miles Beale, Chief Executive of the Wine and Spirit Trade
Association, said:
“There is mounting concern amongst our membership that unless
urgent action is taken, we will fall deeper into delivery chaos.
48 member companies have put their name to our letter
calling on the Transport Secretary to extend the temporary visa
scheme and improve transport routes.
We are already seeing major delays on wine and spirit delivery
times which is pushing up costs and limiting the range of
products available to UK consumers. Government needs to be doing
all it can to ensure British business is not operating with one
hand tied behind its back over the festive season and beyond.”
Ends
Notes to editors:
The below companies have signed the letter to The RT Hon MP:
Accolade Wines, Alcohols Ltd. Langley Distillery, Australian
Vintage Ltd., Bibendum Wine, Burlington Bottling Co., C&C
Group, Cambridge Wine Merchants, Campari Group UK, Clark Foyster
Wines Ltd., Concha y Toro UK Ltd., Corney & Barrow
Ltd., Distil Company Ltd., Ditton Wine & Spirits, Duncan
Murray Wines, E I Wines Ltd t/a Ehrmanns, Ellis Wines,
Emporia Brands Ltd., Encirc Ltd., Freixenet Copestick Ltd.,
Gonzalez Byass UK Ltd., Gordon & MacPhail, Hallgarten &
Novum Wines, Hatch Mansfield Agencies Ltd., Hayman Group,
Intercontinental Brands (ICB) Ltd, J. Chandler & Co
(Buckfast) Ltd., J. Chandler & Co Ltd., Jascots, Jeroboams,
Kingsland Drinks, Laurent-Perrier UK, Love Drinks, Maison Marques
et Domaines Ltd., Mast-Jägermeister UK Ltd., Matthew Clark,
Mentzendorff, Moët Hennessy UK, Morgan Classic Wines, Off Piste
Wines, Pernod Ricard UK, Rathfinny Wine Estate, Ridgeview Estate
Winery Ltd., Slurp Wine, Swirl Wine Group, Tanners Wines,
Thames Distillers Ltd., The Wine Society, Treasury Wine Estates,
Vranken-Pommery UK Ltd.
