Ask the Collective

Should brands pay distributors for sales reports and listing data?

Members are split on whether distributor-charged reporting is fair, but consensus leans toward resistance for small brands. **The complaint:** Several distributors are now charging £100+/month for basic reports showing where products are listed—a meaningful margin hit for small producers with limited SKUs. Members questioned why brands should pay for data that helps distributors sell more product. **Why distributors claim they charge:** Some argue that pulling and sending individual sales reports to every brand is time-consuming and costs them thousands monthly. With thin margins (£2–5 per bottle), report generation isn't free. **What members actually do instead:** - **Maintain close relationships with reps or telesales staff.** They'll often pull reports and send listings informally without charging—this is the workaround small brands use. - **Big brands don't pay.** Members confirmed that major producers are handed this data as standard; they would refuse a charge. Small brands are being asked to pay what large players get free. - **Negotiate directly with individual contacts** rather than accepting the formal fee structure. **Caveat:** Members acknowledged that *some* distributors won't share data at all, citing confidentiality, making the fee-charging ones at least willing to engage. The underlying frustration is that the burden falls on small businesses while established brands get preferential treatment.