The verdict in three sentences
For a London merchant serving 300 trade accounts, a serious B2B website costs £15,000 to £35,000 in 2026, depending on the depth of the trade portal and the number of price lists. The real return comes from the protected buyer portal: downloadable tech sheets, net prices per account and repeat orders without calling a sales rep. Alcohol marketing rules (the Portman Group code and ASA/CAP guidance) shape every public page, so the public showcase and the trade-only area must be clearly separated.
What a trade wine website includes in 2026
A merchant website is not a consumer shop. Trade buyers (independent retailers, importers, sommeliers, buying groups) want technical data and commercial terms, not a decorative basket. A typical scope breaks down like this:
| Module | Content | Indicative 2026 budget |
|---|---|---|
| Compliant public showcase | House story, estates represented, news | £4,000 to £7,000 |
| Wine catalogue | 150 to 600 SKUs, filters by appellation, vintage, colour | £3,000 to £6,500 |
| Technical sheets | Blend, ageing, tasting notes, auto-generated PDFs | £1,800 to £4,000 |
| Protected trade portal | Manually approved accounts, buyer and admin roles | £2,500 to £6,000 |
| Account-specific price lists | 3 to 8 lists (retail, on-trade, import, export), net prices ex VAT | £1,800 to £5,000 |
| Repeat or en primeur orders | Order requests, allocations, CSV export to the ERP | £1,800 to £5,500 |
| Export market versions | Multilingual structure and translation | £1,200 to £3,000 |
A tight project (showcase, catalogue, trade portal, two price lists) sits around £15,000 to £18,000. With en primeur allocations, ERP integration and full export-market content, budgets move towards £28,000 to £35,000.
Alcohol marketing rules: what changes for the site
In the UK, alcohol communication online falls under the CAP Code enforced by the ASA and the Portman Group code. For a merchant, that has concrete design consequences:
- Content should stay factual and informative: origin, appellation, ABV, winemaking, tasting profile.
- No linking wine to social, sporting or sexual success.
- Responsible drinking messaging should appear on promotional pages.
- An age gate at the entrance is recommended for the public area.
The trade portal, restricted to identified buyers, allows more detail on commercial terms, but the copy is still regulated. For export markets such as France, the stricter loi Évin applies to French-language pages. Budget a one-off legal review (£500 to £1,500) before launch.
Timelines, maintenance and architecture options
| Option | Timeline | Upfront cost | Monthly maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard CMS + B2B plugin | 9 weeks | £15,000 to £19,000 | £150 to £220 |
| Custom Next.js site + back office | 11 weeks | £21,000 to £27,000 | £220 to £320 |
| Custom + ERP connector (Sage, Xero, cellar software) | 13 weeks | £28,000 to £35,000 | £300 to £400 |
| En primeur allocations add-on | +2 weeks | +£3,500 to £5,500 | +£50 |
| Additional language (German or Chinese) | +2 weeks | +£2,500 to £4,500 | +£30 |
| UK/EU hosting, backups, monitoring | included | £0 | included in maintenance |
Timing matters: launching the trade portal before the en primeur campaign (April to June) or before the Christmas order season (September) avoids onboarding customers in the middle of the rush.
Mini case study
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James, sales director of a merchant in London, manages 300 active accounts with four reps. Each rep spends about 6 hours a week emailing tech sheets and updated prices and keying repeat orders received by email.
With a trade portal at £26,000 (catalogue, automatic PDF sheets, four price lists, ERP export), he expects to save 4 hours per rep per week. Over 45 weeks, that is 4 × 4 × 45 = 720 hours. At a fully loaded cost of £42 an hour, the gain reaches £30,240 a year, a payback in under 12 months including £260 a month of maintenance. Pricing errors on account lists, previously fixed with credit notes, almost disappear.
FAQ
How much does a trade website for a wine merchant in London cost in 2026?
Budget £15,000 to £35,000 depending on the number of price lists, ERP integration and export languages. A simple project with a trade portal and two price lists starts around £15,000.
Can each trade customer see different prices?
Yes, each account is linked to a price list (retail, on-trade, importer, export) and sees its net prices after login. Most merchants run 3 to 8 lists, sometimes with individual discounts on top.
Do alcohol marketing rules prevent selling wine online to the trade?
No, they regulate communication, not sales. The site must stay factual, show responsible drinking messaging on promotional pages and avoid aspirational associations, with a £500 to £1,500 legal review recommended.
How long does it take to launch the trade portal?
From 9 weeks on a CMS base to 13 weeks with an ERP connector. Aim to go live before April for en primeur or before September for the Christmas season.
What budget should I plan after launch?
Maintenance costs £150 to £400 a month: security updates, backups, hosting and small changes. Also plan 1 to 2 days a year to refresh vintages and tech sheets if imports are not automated.
Let's scope your project. Send us your number of SKUs, price lists and your ERP, and we will price a trade portal with a budget and timeline aligned with your next campaign. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.