The Wine Society posts best-ever Christmas with £35m in festive sales

The Wine Society has delivered the biggest Christmas in its 151-year history, posting record festive sales and its highest ever member participation. Champagne and fine wine led growth as shoppers spent more and bought in greater volumes during the nine-week trading period.

Sales for the period reached £35.1 million, marking a 2.6% like for like increase on Christmas 2024. More members than ever bought wine over the festive season, purchasing in greater volume and at higher prices than last year. The year also proved a standout for recruitment, underlining the group’s continued growth and relevance in the UK wine market.

Steve Finlan, chief executive of The Wine Society, said: “A challenging year for the wider wine industry, we are delighted with our achievements this Christmas, and thanks to our unique mutual model, we were able to focus squarely on member satisfaction. Due to the significant increased costs in 2024, we had to operate a very tight business, homing in on market-leading value for our members at the expense of profit, who in turn rewarded us with choosing to buy their festive wines from us.”

Champagne and fine wine in demand

Members found cause for celebration, with Champagne sales up 8% in value compared to the previous Christmas, according to The Wine Society. Fine wine also performed strongly, with overall sales up 7.5% during the nine-week festive period versus last year.

The retailer began the new year by unveiling a new logo and refreshed website, as part of a wider effort to evolve its brand and digital experience for members. It also launched American Express as a payment option in response to member demand and, for the second year running, was named Which’s top Wine Club Recommended Provider, receiving five stars across the board and being described as “head and shoulders above the competition”.

A warning on rising costs

The festive results arrive against a backdrop of mounting pressure on margins. Speaking to the drinks business at a tasting in October, Finlan warned that the retail industry “can’t take a huge amount more cost” ahead of the November budget.

He said that in only a couple of years, selling wine had become “so much harder”, largely because of increased red tape, National Insurance rises and the costs associated with the new duty regime, EPR and PRN. As a result, the Wine Society’s overheads had risen by £6 million in the last year, according to Finlan.

Pressure on trade and investment

Rather than increasing control and red tape, Finlan argued that the government should provide stimulus for business, warning that extra regulation would lead retailers to cut costs, ranges, stock and recruitment. According to HM Treasury excise receipts released in September 2025, alcohol duty revenue had fallen by £0.2 billion, which the government said might reflect the impact of the Alcohol Duty Reforms implemented in August 2023.

“More worrying is that the same OBR forecast said that they would reach over £16 billion of duty by 2028 to 29, but we’re going backwards against that target. So even on their long-term projections, they’re killing themselves as well as the industry,” Finlan added.

Despite the headwinds, The Wine Society continues to trade well. For a retailer founded in 1874, a record Christmas is no mean feat.

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