Retail & Consumer Goods

Which wholesale rules apply to your business

Wholesalers sell goods on to other businesses rather than to consumers, and what you must do depends on what you trade. Controlled and excise goods (alcohol, tobacco, medicines) need a wholesale authorisation; general merchandise carries product-safety distributor duties; food, animal and plant goods have their own registration and traceability rules; and waste, scrap and fuel are separately regulated. Work out which of these you handle and follow the right guide.

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Related guides in General Compliance

Wholesale compliance checklist

A confirmation checklist for wholesale businesses. Work through the cross-cutting duties every wholesaler shares, then the section for …

Wholesaling is the business of selling goods on to other businesses — retailers, caterers, manufacturers, the trade — rather than to the public. Beyond the duties every business shares, a wholesaler's specific obligations come almost entirely from what it trades: a drinks wholesaler, a pharmaceutical distributor, an electrical-goods importer and a food cash-and-carry are different businesses with different regulators.

Start with the duties every wholesaler shares, then follow the section for the goods you handle. If you trade across categories, follow each relevant guide.

  1. 1

    Put the shared duties in place

    Whatever you trade, start with the universal spine. Follow "Run a compliant wholesale business" for data protection, equality, employers' liability insurance, warehouse health and safety, fire safety and the waste duty of care.

  2. 2

    If you wholesale alcohol, tobacco, medicines or veterinary medicines

    These are controlled or excise goods, and you generally need a specific wholesale authorisation (AWRS, a Wholesale Dealer's Authorisation, or a Home Office licence) before you trade. Follow "Wholesale licences for controlled and excise goods".

  3. 3

    If you wholesale general merchandise

    Chemicals, electrical and electronic goods, machinery, construction products, textiles, furniture, cosmetics, toys or precious metals. As a distributor you must verify that products are compliant and safe, keep traceability records and act on unsafe goods. Follow "Wholesale distributor product-safety duties".

  4. 4

    If you wholesale food, drink or agricultural goods

    Food storage and distribution needs food-business registration and traceability, products of animal origin may need approval, and animal feed, plants and live animals each have their own regimes. The food guides are written for producers, but the registration and traceability steps apply equally to a food wholesaler, cash-and-carry or cold store — follow "Which food and drink rules apply", "Get your animal-origin establishment approved" and "Run an animal feed or pet food business" (all linked from the checklist).

  5. 5

    If you deal in waste, scrap metal or fuel

    You may need to register as a waste carrier, broker or dealer, hold an environmental permit or a scrap metal dealer licence, and meet fuel-storage and dangerous-substances controls. Follow "Which waste management rules apply" and "Oil storage compliance" (linked from the checklist); the scrap metal dealer licence is set out in the checklist.

  6. 6

    Confirm you have covered everything

    Finish with the wholesale compliance checklist to confirm your obligations are in place before you begin or continue trading.

Official sources

Authoritative starting points for wholesale businesses.