The Drinks Club

What The Drinks Club does

The Drinks Club Ltd is a London-based, independently owned wholesale beverage distributor founded in 2013, serving the top tier of the city's on-trade hospitality market, including bars, restaurants, hotels, and clubs. The company distributes more than 3,000 product lines spanning beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks, champagne, vermouth and aperitifs, and specialty items, including rare and exclusive selections such as 75-year-old whisky and prestige champagne houses. In 2024 the company expanded into fine wine with a curated portfolio and launched a new 24/7 customer order portal with inventory management capabilities, accessible via web and mobile.

The business operates from a 54,000-square-foot warehouse in Hayes, West London, and runs a direct delivery fleet that includes the first zero-emission electric heavy vehicle of its size in the British wholesale drinks business. Revenue is generated through wholesale beverage distribution on transaction-based pricing, with the company emphasizing simple, transparent, and competitive pricing. The go-to-market is direct-to-customer, combining a self-serve online portal with direct delivery to venue operators, supported by a sourcing service for out-of-stock products. The customer base is concentrated in London's premium on-trade segment, and the company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or parent company.

Name

The Drinks Club

Legal name

The Drinks Club Ltd

Website

https://thedrinksclub.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Drinks Club is an independently owned London-based wholesale beverage distributor serving high-end bars, restaurants, hotels, and clubs with 3,000+ product lines across beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks, and champagne, distributed via a 24/7 online ordering portal and direct delivery fleet from a 54,000 sq ft West London warehouse.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wholesale Beverage Distribution

SIC

Wholesale-Beer, Wine & Distilled Alcoholic Beverages (5180)

akta.pro primary industry

Beverage Wholesale Distribution (Non-Alcoholic) (CRAOAAAH)

Keywords

• Wholesale beverage distribution
• On-trade hospitality supply
• Premium drinks wholesale
• Wine and spirits supply
• Bar and restaurant beverages

Headquarters

HQ city

Northampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Wholesale Beverage Distribution: The Drinks Club generates revenue through wholesale distribution of wine, beer, spirits, and soft drinks to London's on-trade hospitality sector. They offer over 3,000 product lines ranging from mainstream brands to rare and exclusive selections, with pricing designed to be competitive and hard to beat.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

The Drinks Club is a wholesale beverage distributor serving London's high-end on-trade hospitality sector (bars, restaurants, hotels, and clubs). It offers over 3,000 product lines spanning beer, wine, champagne, spirits, soft drinks, and vermouth/aperitifs, ordered through a 24/7 online portal and delivered from a 54,000 sq ft warehouse in West London. The company also sources rare or out-of-stock products on request and operates a zero-emission electric delivery fleet.

Product overview

The Drinks Club operates as a wholesale beverage distributor serving London's on-trade market (bars, restaurants, hotels, clubs) with a portfolio of over 3,000 products. The company offers a single unified distribution service encompassing multiple beverage categories—beers, champagne, spirits, soft drinks, wine, and vermouth & aperitifs—along with a 24/7 online ordering portal for customer self-service. Their product ecosystem is organized as a comprehensive beverage catalog with an integrated digital ordering platform, complemented by sustainable logistics capabilities featuring zero-emission electric vehicle deliveries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beers Curated wholesale collection of beers covering lagers, IPAs, stouts, and craft brews from global brewing traditions, available to London on-trade hospitality buyers.
• Champagne Premium wholesale champagne selection including vintage and non-vintage options from prestigious producers such as Armand de Brignac, Dom Perignon, and Bollinger in various bottle sizes.
• Spirits Extensive wholesale spirits range (over 1,500 products) from 75-year-old whisky to cost-effective house pours, covering whisky, tequila, gin, vodka, rum, cognac, and specialty liquors, with sourcing help for items not in stock.
• Soft Drinks Wholesale portfolio of soft drinks including carbonated beverages, juices, mixers, and specialty non-alcoholic options from major brands and craft producers.
• Wine Fine wine wholesale offering launched in 2024, featuring hand-picked wines from global wineries and winemakers, including still wines, sparkling wines, and prosecco for London's on-trade venues.
• Vermouth & Aperitifs Wholesale selection of vermouths and aperitif liqueurs including bitter aperitivos, vermouths, and botanical spirits for cocktail preparation in hospitality venues.
• Other Beverage Items Miscellaneous wholesale beverage items including cocktail ingredients, bitters, syrups, non-alcoholic aperitifs, and specialty drink additions.
• 24/7 Online Ordering Portal 24/7 self-service online ordering platform that gives London on-trade customers control over purchasing and inventory management, accessible via web and mobile devices.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Enotria Winegroup: One of the UK's largest on-trade wine and spirits wholesalers, supplying premium venues across the country with a broad portfolio and dedicated portfolio management — directly comparable to The Drinks Club's London on-trade premium distribution model, though at significantly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Hallgarten Druitt & Novum Wines: Specialist UK on-trade wine merchant with a premium agency portfolio serving restaurants and hotels. Closely comparable to The Drinks Club's premium wine and spirits focus, with similar curation-led sourcing and trade customer base.
• Bibendum Wine: Premium UK on-trade wine and beer distributor serving restaurants and hospitality venues with a curated portfolio. Mirrors The Drinks Club's premium positioning and on-trade customer profile, with similar sourcing of small-producer and premium branded SKUs.
• Inverarity Morton: Scotland-based on-trade wine and spirits wholesaler serving premium hospitality venues across the UK. Comparable premium agency-style portfolio model to The Drinks Club, though with stronger Scottish regional concentration.
• Liberty Wines: UK on-trade specialist wine importer and distributor focused on premium agency wines from family-owned producers. Strongly comparable to The Drinks Club's wine curation and premium on-trade customer base, particularly after the 2024 fine wine launch.
• Corney & Barrow: Long-established UK wine merchant serving both on-trade and private clients with a premium portfolio. Comparable premium positioning and wine-led product mix to The Drinks Club, with overlapping London restaurant and hotel account base.
• Philglas & Swiggot: London-based premium on-trade wine and spirits merchant serving top-tier restaurants and hotels. Highly comparable to The Drinks Club's premium London on-trade focus, with a similar boutique-style curated portfolio.
• Great Western Wine: South West England on-trade wine, beer and spirits wholesaler serving hospitality venues. Comparable on-trade distribution model and curated portfolio approach to The Drinks Club, with a different but adjacent geographic focus.

Broad incumbents

• Matthew Clark (C&C Group): Largest UK on-trade drinks wholesaler, owned by C&C Group, supplying beer, wine, spirits and soft drinks nationwide. Competes with The Drinks Club across the London on-trade but at vastly greater scale, breadth, and with national logistics infrastructure.

Regional players

• Lay & Wheeler: UK wine merchant with both on-trade and direct-to-consumer channels, focused on premium and fine wine. Comparable premium wine positioning to The Drinks Club, though its East Anglian base and consumer-facing mix differ from the London on-trade focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thedrinksclub

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Drinks Club