Run a compliant wholesale business

Every wholesale business — from a one-van trade supplier to a national distribution operation — has a set of duties that do not depend on the goods it trades. Put these in place first, then add the rules for your product categories.

Protect the personal data you hold

Wholesalers process personal data of trade-customer contacts, account holders and staff. You must handle it under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Unless you are exempt, you must pay the ICO data protection fee. These rules apply across the whole UK.

Do not discriminate

You must not discriminate against employees or in your business-to-business dealings because of a protected characteristic. The Equality Act 2010 applies in England, Scotland and Wales. Northern Ireland has its own equality law enforced by the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland.

Insure your employees

If you employ anyone — warehouse operatives, drivers, sales and office staff — you must hold employers' liability insurance of at least £5 million from an authorised insurer. This is a duty in Great Britain. Equivalent rules apply in Northern Ireland.

Manage health and safety in the warehouse

Warehousing carries real risk — racking, forklift and loading-bay operations, manual handling and working at height. You owe a general duty to protect your employees and anyone else affected by the business. The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 applies in Great Britain. Northern Ireland has its own corresponding health and safety order.

Keep your premises fire-safe

The responsible person for a warehouse, depot or distribution centre must carry out and maintain a fire risk assessment. Storing flammable or combustible stock raises the risk profile. This is a devolved area. In England and Wales it is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. In Scotland it is the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005. In Northern Ireland it is the Fire and Rescue Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.

Deal with your waste responsibly

The duty of care requires you to store waste securely, describe it correctly, transfer it only to authorised persons and keep transfer notes or electronic records. Hazardous waste carries extra consignment-note duties. (If you trade in waste itself — as a broker, carrier or dealer — you have further registration duties. See the waste section of the wholesale rules router.) This is devolved across the Environment Agency, SEPA, Natural Resources Wales and NIEA.

Next steps

With the shared duties in place, follow the rules for the goods you trade:

• Wholesale licences for controlled and excise goods — alcohol, tobacco, medicines
• Wholesale distributor product-safety duties — general merchandise

Then confirm everything with the wholesale compliance checklist.