The verdict in three sentences
For a London wine merchant, en primeur offers sent as PDFs to hundreds of trade customers create three problems: customer-specific prices that are impossible to keep current, allocations tracked in a spreadsheet and confirmations lost in inboxes. A trade portal gives each restaurant, retailer or importer their own price, allocations and duty or export paperwork in one place. As a 2026 order of magnitude, budget 40,000 to 100,000 GBP and 3 to 5 months, depending on the number of markets and the link with your trading system.
What the portal must handle
The fine wine trade has rules generic ecommerce platforms do not know. The same Bordeaux château may be offered at 32 GBP in bond to a volume importer, 38 GBP to an independent merchant and 44 GBP to a restaurant group, with allocations capped at 6, 12 or 60 bottles depending on purchase history. En primeur campaigns run over a few weeks between April and June, with releases coming in daily.
| Function | Use at the merchant | Complexity | Indicative share of budget |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price lists per customer and per market | 5 to 15 lists, per-account exceptions | Medium | 15 % |
| En primeur allocations | Quotas per customer based on history | High | 20 % |
| Real-time offers at each release | Notification, one-click reservation | Medium | 10 to 15 % |
| Physical stock catalogue by warehouse | Vintages, formats, OWC, bonded stock | Medium | 15 % |
| Duty and export documents | In bond vs duty paid, movement documents, pro formas | High | 15 % |
| Multi-currency GBP, EUR, USD, CHF, HKD | Conversion and invoicing | Medium | 10 % |
| Trading system link (Vinosmith, Sage, Vinum) | Orders and stock | Medium | 10 to 15 % |
2026 budget and options
The amounts below are market benchmarks seen in London in 2026, separate from any Kolonell quote, which follows a scoping session.
| Option | Upfront cost (2026 order of magnitude) | Annual cost | Timeline | Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PDF and email (status quo) | 0 GBP | 1 to 2 FTE sales staff on data entry | Immediate | Allocation errors |
| Ecommerce B2B module (Shopify Plus B2B) | 15,000 to 35,000 GBP | 20,000 to 35,000 GBP | 2 to 3 months | Allocations and bond not native |
| Wine trading software with extranet | 20,000 to 50,000 GBP | 6,000 to 15,000 GBP | 3 to 6 months | Dated interface |
| Custom portal, UK and Europe scope | 40,000 to 65,000 GBP | 5,000 to 10,000 GBP | 3 to 4 months | Precise scoping required |
| Custom portal, 25 markets and multi-currency | 65,000 to 100,000 GBP | 10,000 to 18,000 GBP | 4 to 5 months | Higher budget |
For 25 markets, the hardest part is duty and export. UK alcohol duty on still wine is now strength-based, around 2.90 GBP per 75 cl bottle at 12.5 % ABV in 2026 (estimate, check current HMRC rates), so the portal must show in bond and duty paid prices side by side and handle movements under duty suspension. Origin documents and certificates for China, the US or Switzerland add to this block, which alone often costs 10,000 to 20,000 GBP.
Mini case study
James, sales director of a wine merchant in St James's (illustrative example), manages 1,200 trade accounts. During the en primeur campaign, 3 sales staff spend 6 weeks sending offers and re-keying confirmations, about 720 hours. At 50 GBP per loaded hour, that is 36,000 GBP per campaign. He also estimates that 2 % of 3,500,000 GBP of en primeur sales, or 70,000 GBP, is lost to allocations not confirmed in time and reallocated too late. If the portal cuts data entry by 60 % and recovers half the lost allocations, the gain reaches 56,600 GBP in the first campaign, against a 75,000 GBP project.
FAQ
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Do we need a separate portal for private clients?
Usually yes: prices, duty treatment and distance-selling rules differ. One technical base can host both areas, adding 20 to 30 % to the budget rather than doubling it.
How do we allocate en primeur fairly?
The portal calculates a quota per customer from 3 to 5 vintages of history, with manual adjustments. Customers see their allocation at release and have a window, for example 48 hours, to confirm.
Can the portal handle in bond and duty paid pricing?
Yes: each price is stored ex duty, and duty plus 20 % VAT are calculated for duty paid delivery. This removes manual recalculation on every UK order.
Which currencies for 25 markets?
GBP, EUR, USD and CHF cover most trade, with HKD or SGD for Asia. Rates update daily and the price can be locked at confirmation.
What does maintenance cost?
Allow 5,000 to 18,000 GBP a year depending on integrations, with extra cover during the en primeur campaign, when the portal must never go down.
Let's scope your project. Send us your number of trade accounts, markets and trading software: we will scope a trade portal with a budget range and a 3 to 5 month plan, delivered before 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.
