Shortage of Wine & Spirits at Christmas.
The BBC news website is warning of wine and spirits shortage at Christmas. A drinks trade body has warned Britain could face a shortage of wine and spirits at Christmas.
In a letter to Transport Secretary Grant Shapps, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) said rising costs and supply chain chaos have held up deliveries. Imports were now taking up to five times longer than a year ago, it said.
The government said: “We do not expect disruption to the supply of alcohol this Christmas”.
The letter was co-signed by 49 firms, including Pernod Ricard, Moët Hennessy and the Wine Society. It said the sector has been badly affected by the HGV driver shortage crisis, which the industry has blamed on factors including Covid and Brexit.
The letter said drinks businesses were still struggling, and further action was needed, particularly in the run-up to Christmas – “a critical trading period for our sector”.
“Unless urgent action is taken, we will fall deeper into delivery chaos,” it added. “Businesses like ours previously able to fulfil orders in two to three days now have to operate on a day one for day fifteen basis,” the letter said.
In addition, businesses are reporting increased costs of around 7% – and often more – by freight forwarders to account for driver retention.
“This is particularly a concern for SMEs [small and medium-sized enterprises] who are unable to compete with large businesses to attract drivers.”
It said drivers and vehicles were “increasingly unpredictable” in their arrival times, which meant goods were either not ready or left waiting for collection. It warned that being unable to fulfil orders on time would mean lost business and could ultimately lead to increased costs for 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,” said Miles Beale, WSTA chief executive.
The WSTA called for the temporary visa scheme for HGV drivers to be extended for a year.
It also wants the government to act to help smooth congested freight routes from ports, and to provide more regular updates on how many HGV driver licences are being processed by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
A government spokesperson said: “The UK has a strong food supply chain and we do not expect disruption to the supply of alcohol this Christmas.
“The government acted quickly to tackle the challenges to our supply chains, which were brought on by global pressures including the pandemic and the international shortage of HGV drivers.”
It has invested £32.5m in roadside facilities for hauliers, put £17m into creating new HGV skills boot camps, and launched a review of training, the spokesperson said.
“These measures are working, cutting the backlog through a huge increase in vocational licences issued and HGV tests conducted compared to before the pandemic, and there is no spare capacity in the testing system.”