Wholesalers respond to King's Speech, want more clarification

A leading wholesalers association has welcomed the bills and policies proposed in the King's Speech today (17), expressing further clarification on some issues.

According to Federation of Wholesale Distributors, some of the announcements will directly affect the wholesale sector, not least the Crime and Policing Bill, Growth and Skills Levy and smoking ban.

Reacting on the announcement, FWD CEO James Bielby shared his thoughts, "FWD welcomes the announcement of a Crime and Policing Bill which will give the police more powers to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour. FWD calls on the government to ensure that the standalone offence for assaulting or abusing a shop worker extends to wholesale workers. We look forward to working closely with the government on this.”

On smoking ban, Bielby stated thatfurther details are still awaited on the government’s generational smoking ban and FWD will be seeking to ensure that the Bill works for wholesale with an "exemption for business-to-business sales to allow retailer workers to purchase tobacco from their wholesalers, whatever their age".

Bielby further welcomed commitment from the government to introduce a Skills England Bill which will reform the Apprenticeship Levy into a wider Growth and Skills Levy.

He said, "At present, limitations are restricting businesses like ours from using funds for a broad spectrum of training initiatives aligned to the requirements of our workforce. We look forward to working with Skills England – the new body that will manage the Levy – to ensure the needs of the wholesale sector are taken forward.”

In reference to Net zero announcements, Bielby stated that FWD members are committed to achieving net zero by 2040, a whole decade ahead of the government’s targets.

"We’ve already seen movement in the right direction with the removal of the onshore wind ban, and we welcome Labour’s intention to create Great British Energy. Our sector has shown that we are prepared to lead the net zero transition if the government is prepared to create a supportive environment to unlock private investment and bolster our ambition," he said.

On workers’ rights, Bielby welcomed the government’s decision to consult with business on their wide-ranging proposals.

"The wholesale sector is the backbone of the UK’s food and drink sector, employing 70,000 people directly, and investing in skills and jobs. We welcome the government’s decision to consult with business on their wide-ranging proposals, and will be making the case that they need to carefully evaluate the extensive range of business costs affecting the wholesale sector, including the escalating costs of labour, energy, food, and regulatory compliance when introducing new employment legislation.”

Regarding energy drinks ban, Bielby stated that FWD will be carefully analysing the detail of the proposals on the restriction on sales of high caffeine energy drinks to children and will work with the government to protect against the potential knock-on effects on the supply chain if a blanket ban is introduced.