TERMS AND CONDITIONS

AWRS Registration Number
XFAW00000100370

Definitions
"Company" Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd.
"Goods" the goods which the Company is to supply in accordance with these Terms and Conditions.
"Customer" the person, firm, sole trader or limited company who accepts the Company's quotation for the sale of Goods by making an Order Request.

General: All Goods are sold and supplied to the Customer upon the following standard terms and conditions. The Company reserves the right at its discretion to accept or decline any Order Request. Orders Request only becomes Order binding upon the Company when the Company has provided a confirmation of acceptance of the Order request. Orders will only be accepted from persons over the age of 18.

Prices: All prices are quoted per bottle and per case excluding VAT and including excise duty unless otherwise stated and are correct at time of quotation. The Company reserves the right to change prices without notice and Goods will be charged at the price prevailing at the date of dispatch. All goods are offered subject to stock availability and remain the property of the Company until paid in full.

Carriage: Within the Greater London Area carriage is free of charge for orders of 12 bottles of wine (75cl) or 6 bottles of spirits (70cl) or more. For outside of London, minimum orders vary due to specific locations within the UK, please enquire directly to your Astrum sales contact. 

Delivery: Within the Central London Area, orders placed by 2pm will be delivered the next day. Orders placed after 2pm have no next-day delivery guarantee. Any order for the UK mainland will be delivered within 3 working days. Emergency deliveries can be arranged at an agreed cost. We can guarantee specific delivery time slots only for clients who request this when ordering at least 48 hours before. 

Payment Terms: The Company must receive payment in full before delivery will be arranged unless the Company has agreed credit terms. The Company will not enter into a sale or return arrangement unless specifically agreed prior to order confirmation.

Late payment: The Company reserves the right to charge interest pursuant to the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act.

Claims: All goods must be inspected at the time of delivery. Claims for breakage, loss or damage must be notified in writing to both the Company and the carriers within three working days. Non-delivery must be notified within 7 working days of date of invoice or dispatch note. Packing materials should be retained for inspection. No claims for compensation will be accepted if notification is made outside these deadlines. Corked or defective bottles should be returned to the Company for examination.

Warranties: Other than as stated in these terms and conditions, all warranties, conditions, terms and undertakings expressed or implied, whether by statute, common law, custom, trade usage, course of dealings or otherwise in respect Goods supplied by the Company are hereby excluded to the fullest extent permitted by law save that nothing in this agreement operates to exclude or limit the Customer's statutory rights.

Retention of title: The Company shall retain title to the Goods until the Company receives full payment of the price of the Goods and any other outstanding sums which The Customer shall keep such Goods as the Company's bailer and shall deliver up the Goods to the Company at its request and shall:
1. insure the Goods against the usual risk.
2. store them separately or otherwise ensure that they are readily identifiable as the Company's property.
3. irrevocably authorises the Company's representative at any time in circumstances to enter the Customer's premises where the Goods are thought by the Company to be stored for the purpose of repossessing the Goods.
4. keep the Goods free from any charge lien or other encumbrance.

Insolvency: The Company may terminate the order by written notice if the Customer becomes insolvent or is deemed to be unable to pay its debt.

Data Protection: In placing an Order Request the Customer consents to the Company holding and using the Customer's personal information in order to inform the Customer of the Company's promotions and events. The Company will not pass Customer details to any third party save for the purpose of delivering Goods pursuant to an Order. If the Customer does not want to receive such information the Customer shall inform the Company of the fact in writing.

Dispute resolution: If any dispute arises in relation to Goods supplied by the Company both the Company and the Customer agree to negotiate in good faith to resolve such dispute before recourse to litigation. If any dispute cannot be resolved by way of negotiation then both parties agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of England & Wales whose jurisdiction shall be exclusive save in respect of the enforcement of judgments when such jurisdiction will be non-exclusive.

Applicable Law
These terms and conditions are governed by the laws of England & Wales.
THIS LIST SUPERSEDES ANY PREVIOUS ONE.

EXCISE DUE DILIGENCE POLICY 

SEPTEMBER 2024

Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd is fully aware of its obligations under the AWRS. A due diligence process is in place which considers the likelihood of excise duty evasion as well as other commercial/criminal risks when undertaking trading activities. Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd fully supports any action to drive out illicit trade in alcohol and reduce the risk to businesses.

Alcohol duty fraud is a serious problem that harms not only the UK taxpayer but also legitimate businesses, communities and the wider economy. Without effective safeguards in place, there are considerable risks to all businesses along alcohol supply chains of becoming implicated in illicit trading. Any business in the supply chain which trades in alcohol is potentially at risk of becoming implicated in the illicit alcohol trade unless it undertakes due diligence checks as set out by HMRC in Excise Notice 2002: Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme. The AWRS is designed to reduce fraud and under the scheme, any business which falls within the definitions in the Notice as being required to register, must do so. From March 2017, it will be an offence to purchase alcohol from an unregistered wholesaler.

Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd may ask for your Unique Reference Number (URN) or AWRS application reference number in addition to any other questions that may be pertinent in order to document and satisfy the requirements of due diligence as set out by HMRC. Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd will not deal with any customers or suppliers where it is felt that there is a possibility that such trade will involve fraud. If Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd suspect fraud, HMRC will be notified.

Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd maintains its obligation to:

·         Objectively assess the risk of alcohol duty fraud within the supply chain

·         Establish reasonable and proportionate checks in day-to-day trading to ensure that transactions do not lead to fraud and do not involve duty-evaded goods

·         Establish processes and procedures to take timely and effective action where the risk of fraud has been identified

·         Put in place audit and governance procedures to ensure that due diligence processes are, and continue to be, carried out

For the purposes of AWRS, suppliers or customers may need to document their own due diligence regarding Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd.

The Unique Reference Number (URN) for Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd will be placed on all invoices for reference.

Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd is committed to trading in full compliance with all relevant national, EU and International laws, although we only source products from reputable businesses within the UK. All products we supply will have had its appropriate duty paid, where required.

 

1. FOR A RETAILER TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT:

In order for a business to register for trade, Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd will require

the following documents:

A completed account application form which is available online at https://form.jotform.com/211653934344052  

or which can be posted on request.

• Copy of Incorporation Certificate or number (if applicable)
• Copy of VAT Certificate or number (if applicable)
• Company Bank Details
• Signed account forms

Once Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd has collated this information, the necessary checks will be conducted before opening the account. Payment methods are bank transfer or direct debit only. Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd does not accept cheques or cash.

 

2. FOR A WHOLESALER TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT:

In order for a business to register as a wholesaler, Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd will require the following documents:

A Completed account application form which is available online at https://form.jotform.com/211653934344052  

or which can be posted on request.

• Copy of Incorporation Certificate or number
• Copy of VAT Certificate or number
• Company Bank Details
• Signed account forms

Once the information has been gathered, Astrum Wine Cellars Finance Department will complete a risk assessment. Any customers identified as high risk will undergo further questioning. High risk customers that are accepted will be evaluated every three months; all other customers will be reviewed in due course.

All customers who do not pass the internal check will be notified that their account will not be opened and customers with suspicious behaviour will be reported to HMRC.

 

3. FOR A SUPPLIER TO OPEN AN ACCOUNT:

As a part of the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS), Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd is required to conduct due diligence checks on partners involved in the supply chain for alcoholic drinks. Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd will require the following documents for a supplier to open an account to start trading:

• Company Introduction stating nature of business and products available
• Completion of ‘FITTED’ questionnaire
• Copy of Incorporation Certificate or number
• Copy of VAT Certificate or number
• Company Bank Details
• AWRS number if this has been issued and UK based supplier
• Headed paper or business card / proforma invoice
• If a UK duty paid supplier, we can request copies of form

W-5 (or similar document) showing evidence of duty payment.

The FITTED questionnaire includes all information that is required for our checks as well as points to upload evidence. This will be sent directly to a new supplier prior to an initial order being placed.

Once the supplier has sent the above information, Astrum Wine Cellars Finance Department will review it. The overall risk of the supplier will be established. If the business is identified as a high-risk supplier, further questions will be asked, and site visits will be conducted as appropriate. Any suspicious retail pricing at uneconomic levels or improper trading patterns will be reported to HMRC.

 

4. DUE DILIGENCE CODE OF CONDUCT (DDCOC):

Our Due Diligence Code of Conduct (DDCOC) sets out the basic rules we will follow and the values that will guide our decisions. It also points us to more detailed processes and procedures relating to the purchase and supply of alcoholic products.

The DDCOC is built on the premise of ‘’knowing your customer or supplier‘’ and the commercial transactions that will be involved. Supply chains are only as strong as the weakest link and the purpose of the Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd DDCOC is to prevent entering into commercial transactions with any illicit customer or supplier. The policy will aid in ensuring all customers and suppliers are regularly reviewed so any changes of activities are identified, and the appropriate action taken.

Specific guidelines have been developed for customers and suppliers. All customers and suppliers must provide the required list of documents and completed questions for Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd to undertake a risk assessment before any account is open. Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd will only trade with a customer or supplier if they have passed the necessary risk assessment checks.

Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd authorised members of the team will review the submitted information on a case-by-case basis and will conduct the final sign off. Any customer or supplier who fails to pass the risk assessment will immediately have all transactions ceased pending review. If the review is unsatisfactory, the account will be closed indefinitely.

Regular reviews of customer and supplier information will be conducted by Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd authorised member of the team and the final sign off will be conducted by the Finance Director or the Managing Director. 

All initial checks and further reviews will be documented in the customer or supplier file and maintained on an ongoing basis. 

The DDCOC will be implemented and maintained by Astrum Team who have experience working with Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd customers, suppliers and methods of business.

Part of the DDCOC is to ensure day-to-day checks are in place to identify transactions that may lead to fraud or involve goods on which duty may have been evaded. Checks in purchase order processing and customer orders are two areas where daily checks are performed.

 

5. PURCHASE ORDER PROCESS FOR NOMINATED SUPPLIERS:

The purchase order process we currently use will help assist in ensuring fraud does not take place. All orders are raised through official purchase orders. The orders are emailed across directly to the supplier with the full details of product and price. Once the goods are received into our warehouse or bonded warehouse, the goods are booked into our WMS system. This process highlights any errors in quantity and costings.

If any order has not been received in the expected delivery window, we will raise a query with the supplier, haulier if we have instructed them and destination warehouse. If anything, fraudulent has been identified we take the necessary action

The same principle applies to the delivery address requested on the customer’s purchase order. Astrum Wine Cellars Ltd ensures copies of delivery notes for each order are received to help prove delivery to the requested delivery address.

Any changes to the form of ordering or delivery address have to be made in writing by the customer on company letterhead or company email.

6. FITTED Due Diligence for Alcohol Wholesalers

It is an Astrum Wine Cellars obligation to make sure we meet the requirements of Section 12 of Excise Notice 2002

We do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided us with Personal Data, please contact us. If we become aware that we have collected Personal Data from children without verification of parental consent, we take steps to remove that information from our servers.

 

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update our Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of any changes by posting the new Privacy Policy on this page.

We will let you know via email and/or a prominent notice on our Service, prior to the change becoming effective and update the "effective date" at the top of this Privacy Policy.

You are advised to review this Privacy Policy periodically for any changes. Changes to this Privacy Policy are effective when they are posted on this page.

 

Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

• By email: marketing@astrumwinecellars.com