Online wine sales on the increase in the UK

The Drinks Business, the magazine specialising in alcoholic beverages, recently commissioned a study focusing on the, until now, little known online wine market in the UK. According to the study, online wine sales, those made via websites belonging to onl

09/04/2010

UK online wine sales generate €1.3 billion per year

The Drinks Business, the magazine specialising in alcoholic beverages, recently commissioned a study focusing on the, until now, little known online wine market in the UK. According to the study, online wine sales, those made via websites belonging to online stores, represent an estimated £200 million per year (€243 million); while direct-to-consumer sales, carried out primarily via mail order, reached the value of £900 million (€1.1 billion). The total volume of wine sold via these two retail options is estimated in 13 million cases.

Despite the figures it generates, the UK Internet wine market is one of the least studied retail areas in a country with one of the highest wine consumption figures in the world. However, evidence suggests that it is precisely online transactions which have registered the highest growth rate in retail sales. This is confirmed by IMRG/Capgemini a company specialising in e-commerce, whose figures show online sales growth for beer, wine and spirits, in 23 percent for the first four months of 2010.

According to Robert McCarthy, Laithwaites’ commercial director, online wine sales are growing steadily and represent an opportunity, for those wishing to supply the UK market, not only in terms of volume but also in terms of scope.